CORTLANDT – The US Environmental Protection Agency added the Magna Metals site in the Town of Cortlandt to the Superfund Program’s National Priorities List.
Adding the site to the Superfund list “is an important action to protect Cortlandt’s children and families from potential exposure to harmful site contaminants,” said EPA Regional Administrator Peter Lopez. “The legal and technical resources of the federal Superfund program will allow EPA to build on the previous actions by the State of New York and Westchester County to resolve decades-old problems associated with this site.”
Town Supervisor Linda Pugliese was apparently not impressed with the speed by which the remediation process has been going. “This is a NYS DEC and EPA clean-up project dating back to the 1970’s, way before any of us were in office. It has taken them all of these decades later to complete studies and remediation.”
Magna Metals conducted metal plating, polishing and lacquering operations at the site from 1955 to 1979. During operations, iron, lead, copper, nickel, zinc chlorides, cyanides, and sulfates were discharged to a series of leaching pits. As a result, the soil, groundwater, a nearby stream and sediment are contaminated with metals and volatile organic compounds.
The former plant was demolished in 2013. Buildings on the property are currently being used for offices, a laboratory and warehousing.
Some of the homes in the predominantly resident area surround the site, have contaminated soil on their property immediately adjacent to the brook, and are located near contaminated sediment.
Affected residents have been provided with soil sample results and advised on how to reduce potential exposures in the short-term.
Furnace Brook is the main surface water body that contains contaminated sediment, including some 1.5 miles of freshwater wetlands.
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