In September, the Horseheads district received a report that a portion of district property is a former waste disposal site. Since receiving the report, district officials have been investigating the situation and working toward an action plan, and preliminary reports have shown no hazardous substances.
The district contracted with the environmental engineering firm of Barton and Loguidice to investigate, sample, and make recommendations. The firm presented a preliminary report to the district in early October. The report pointed out that the reported site does not include any of the district's athletic fields. The reported site, a three-acre parcel of land, is at the district's bus garage and fueling station, adjacent to the athletic fields.
In 1986, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) contractors conducted soil sampling on the property near the district's current bus garage and adjacent to athletic fields. This original report was part of a larger investigation of the contamination of Elmira's Kentucky Avenue Well Field (water supply). The EPA studied several properties in the vicinity, to identify potential sites that may have contributed to the environmental problems with the Elmira water supply. The parcel on district property is near a small creek. The EPA report including the original samples identified that there was a low level of chemicals in the soil, resulting from runoff from the adjacent parking lot.
In 1995, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) reviewed the 1986 EPA report and included the site on a list of possible disposal sites in New York that may need further investigation (this is the report provided to the district initially). The DEC determined that this site was a low priority for additional research or action. In 1994, the EPA compiled information from the 1986 report, and additional sampling in 1989 (which did not detect any concerns), determining that the site was not impacted with waste affecting the Elmira wells, and was not of significant concern. DEC did not have this second summary study from EPA, when they published the 1995 site list.
The reports for the site gave a point with latitude and longitude (coordinates) of the reported dump site. This point was not field verified, however. At that time, the technology was not available to pinpoint an exact spot, and today we can.
Engineers from Barton and Loguidice researched both the EPA and DEC documents and analyzed aerial photos from 1938 to 2006. Through this process, they determined that the reported coordinates of the site did not match any of the actual sampling locations. Using the most current GPS technology, and measurements from the 1986 report, the firm has been able to better pinpoint the site where the EPA sampled. They then began taking samples of soils around the perimeter of the reported site, which is a three-acre parcel of land, including samples from the corner of the practice baseball field.
They tested the perimeter first to determine if any of the reported chemicals have spread, and in October, these samples came back negative for any hazardous substances.
"We have continually been told by the DEC that this is a low priority and not a major concern, but it's our property, and so we are taking it seriously," said Superintendent Ralph Marino. "We want to ensure that the reported site does not include any athletic fields and that any chemicals existing have not spread."
The firm will continue to update the district administration and Board of Education, and the district will keep parents and residents up to date on any findings.
Following are reports and information from the original study and the district's environmental engineering firm:
If you have questions regarding this topic, please contact the district's health and safety specialist, Tony Stager, at astager@gstboces.org.
