DEC Seeking Property Owner Permission Required For Work to Begin
 

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today that cleanup of properties in neighborhoods adjacent to the Former Geneva Foundry will begin this summer. Residential and commercial properties, including licensed day care facilities, closest to the foundry site, where soil contaminant concentrations are typically expected to be higher, will be prioritized.

The first step in the remedial process involves development of individual cleanup plans which will be implemented on a property-specific basis to ensure the most effective cleanup possible. As participation in the remediation is voluntary and will only be conducted with the written permission of the property owner, DEC is encouraging targeted property owners to help expedite the process by granting permission for the state to access their properties to develop the necessary cleanup plans. Letters targeting an initial group of approximately 30 residences nearest to the former foundry at 23 Jackson Street in the City of Geneva have been mailed to homeowners.

The list of properties to be cleaned up in 2017 will be developed based on sampling results, access granted by property owners and conditions on-the-ground.  Once permission has been granted, DEC will meet with property owners to review the remedial design and restoration plans for the properties. During construction, contaminated soils will be excavated and transported off-site for disposal at a permitted facility. Specific excavation depths will be identified during the remedial design, but are generally expected to be within the top 2 feet of soil. Clean fill material will be brought in to restore the areas that are disturbed during the clean-up process to pre-remediation conditions.

DEC will also conduct additional soil sampling in previously un-sampled areas or properties where additional samples are required to determine whether elevated levels of contaminants of concern are present and warrant remediation.  DEC will also be contacting the owners of these properties to obtain their written permission prior to performing this work.

This will be the first year of a multiyear cleanup effort. In future years, remedial construction activities will begin in the spring, and DEC will continue to adaptively manage the project as it progresses. The project will be funded and conducted pursuant to terms of the State Superfund program. In addition, the Brownfield Cleanup Agreement for the City of Geneva’s Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP) project to implement the cleanup of the Geneva Foundry site and an adjacent parcel at 44 Jackson Street, was executed on March 9, 2017. Entry into the BCP will allow the City to begin cleanup of these properties identified in the January 2017 Record of Decision issued by DEC, and make the site eligible for tax credits based on the cost for the cleanup and cost of future development of the site.

Documents associated with the site are available for review at:

Geneva Public Library
244 Main Street
Geneva, NY 14456
(315) 789-5303

Additional site details, including environmental and health assessment summaries, are available on DEC's website at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/107812.html.