The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will begin remedial construction activities to address contamination in Pontiac Bay of Lake Flower and Brandy Brook. This contamination is related to the Saranac Lake Gas Co. Inc., site located at Payeville Road, Saranac Lake, Essex County.

DEC and the State Department of Health (DOH) are holding a public availability session on Tuesday, March 13, from 7 to 9 p.m., at Harrietstown Town Hall Auditorium, 39 Main Street, Saranac Lake, NY. During the session, property owners and residents will have an opportunity to meet with DEC and DOH to discuss 2018 construction details including sequencing, scheduling, controls, and other aspects of the cleanup.

From the late 1800s to approximately the 1940s, the site was used for manufacturing lighting gas via coal gasification for the village of Saranac Lake. The past activities at the site have resulted in contamination both on- and off-site, including Brandy Brook and Pontiac Bay of Lake Flower.

Pursuant to the March 2015 Record of Decision (ROD) for Operable Unit 03: Pontiac Bay on Lake Flower and the March 2016 ROD for Operable Unit 02: Brandy Brook, contaminated sediment and soils in Pontiac Bay of Lake Flower and in and along Brandy Brook will be removed and disposed of to be protective of human health and the environment.

Sediment dredged from Pontiac Bay will be loaded onto a scow barge that offloads its contents into a covered temporary fabric structure erected on the banks of Pontiac Bay. The sediment will then be dewatered and/or stabilized inside the structure for direct offsite disposal. Dewatered sediment will be loaded into trucks that exit onto Route 86 (River Street) for transport to an offsite commercial landfill. Sediment excavated from Brandy Brook will be loaded into off-road dump trucks for transport to staging area for dewatering and offsite disposal.

Work is scheduled to start in April and continue into November 2018, with some restoration activities to be completed in spring 2019.

A Community Air Monitoring Plan (CAMP) will be implemented to monitor for dust during excavation and ensure that contaminated soil is not released to the surrounding environment during the cleanup.

Excavated areas will be backfilled with material that provides a suitable ecological habitat. The site cleanup activities will result in improved drainage along Brandy Brook and Pontiac Bay due to upgrading and cleaning culverts, clearing fallen trees and debris from Brandy Brook, and reworking drainage to discharge further into Pontiac Bay allowing for less sedimentation close to the shore. The remedial activities are expected to result in a positive economic impact for the village due to the project’s workforce and necessary support services such as fuel, restaurants, and hotel accommodations.

A portion of DEC’s Lake Flower Boat Launch and the village of Saranac Lake’s property adjacent to Pontiac Bay will be required for dewatering and transfer operations, equipment staging, and other activities. This includes the “Ice Palace” parcel. DEC will require the “Ice Palace” parcel is left in a condition that allows it to be utilized during Saranac Lake’s Winter Carnival.

The DEC Lake Flower Boat Launch is expected to remain open during this time, but parking will not be available. The public will need to find alternate parking after launching their boats or use the DEC Second Pond Boat Launch. Paddlers and others with car tops boats are encouraged to use the DEC Ampersand Bay Hand Launch.

DEC is adaptively managing this project to ensure the remediation and restoration activities are completed expeditiously and efficiently. DEC will continue to work cooperatively with the village to ensure timely and complete communication with the public.

The project is being funded and conducted pursuant to terms of the State Superfund program. Additional site details, including environmental and health assessment summaries, are available on NYSDEC's Environmental Site Remediation Database (by entering the Site ID, 516008) at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/cfmx/extapps/derexternal/index.cfm?pageid=3.