Remediation proposed for Mount Vernon brownfield site

MOUNT VERNON – A site that was used to manufacture paint, varnish, paint remover and polyethylene finishes until it shut down in 1990, is about to undergo final environmental remediation 15 years later.
The Red Devil Paint site at 30 North West Street in Mount Vernon was found to have widespread soil contamination under a factory building with significant volumes of liquid chemical contaminants floating on the shallow groundwater and high concentration of volatile organic compounds dissolved in the on-site groundwater.
Some environmental work was performed was performed, but abandoned in 2003. Once the proposed Brownfield remediation plan is approved, work will be performed to finally clean up the property.
Two interim remediation measures were completed previously. One, between 2006 and 2009, successfully removed several underground storage tanks, a significant portion of contaminated source material, and large areas of adjacent contaminated soils. Sixteen bulk storage tanks and surrounding contaminated soils were excavated and disposed off-site. A total of 2,550 tons of non-hazardous soils were excavated and disposed off-site. Eleven tons of hazardous wood and 224 tons of hazardous soil materials were excavated and disposed off-site at approved facilities and a soil vapor extraction system was installed.
The second interim remedial measure involved construction of two horizontal groundwater and liquid waste extraction wells.
The final remediation, once approved by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, will see continued operation of the current liquid waste removal and groundwater/soil vapor extraction and treatment systems; groundwater treatment by enhanced natural attenuation; long-term groundwater monitoring; institution of an environmental easement; and development of a site management plan.
The site is currently an active self-storage facility. It was originally developed as a large bakery company, but between 1955 and 1990, the property was occupied by a series of chemical pain companies – Technicolor and Chemical Works, Red Devil Pain Company and Insilco Incorporated, that manufactured paint, varnish, paint remover and polyethylene finishes. During that that time, chemicals leaked into the ground resulting in contaminated soils, groundwater and soil vapor.