AVM site remediation moving ahead
By Karen Blake
Residents of Torrance Place and Chestnut Street, and the Village of Gowanda and Cattaraugus County officials met Tuesday with representatives of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Health (DEC and DOH) to find out what the next steps will be in the process to remediate industrial chemical contamination in the area of the old AVM (Automated Voting Machine Corporation) property. It was placed on the state’s registry of active hazardous waste sites, or Superfund, in 1995.
Waste products, including industrial solvents from the former machine shop manufacturing process, had been disposed of on the site, and over the years have moved through soil and water and into the air in parts of the surrounding neighborhood.
Of particular concern is the elevated levels of Trichloroethene (TCE) and other volatile organic compounds found in several residential samples tested from in and around homes on Torrance Place and Chestnut Street.
Gowanda Electronics, which purchased the AVM property in 1979, has excavated, removed, and disposed of 568 tons of contaminated soil, and has installed groundwater collection and treatment systems. The state DEC and DOH are coordinating the remediation of the contaminated areas, including a former AVM building, now closed, that was used as a day rehab center by the NYS OMRDD.
Cameron O’Connor, from the New York State Health Department, stated that while TCE is of concern, the concentrations of the chemical and exposures in and around homes and buildings were at low levels. He emphasized that they constituted “no immediate health impact.”
Exposures to TCE, especially in high levels of concentration, as well as prolonged exposure can cause nervous system damage, symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, nausea, blurred vision, long-term damage to kidneys and liver, and cancer. TCE and related chemicals can also be found in common household products such as paint, cleaning compounds, deodorizers, etc., it was explained.
DEC officials said that recent indoor air samples and other tests have determined that there are two separate underground “plumes” of chemicals that have migrated through soil and water off the AVM property.
The work in progress now is how to best contain, extract and treat the chemicals from the water, soil and air. It was originally thought to dig a “trench” to remove the contaminants, but DEC engineers are now looking at a method of using a system of “horizontal wells” that would not be as much of a disruption or damage to trees and yards. They said after more sampling and testing is completed, including in an area west of the original plume, a design plan would be approved, and remediation work in the neighborhood should begin next spring.
In the meantime, a number of residents on Torrance and Chestnut found to have elevated levels of chemicals in the air inside their homes have been notified that they can have a ventilation system installed in their homes. This will remove the air vapor from the soil underneath up through a vent pipe above the roof to dissipate into the outdoor air before it can come into the house.
Nicholas Mouganis, from Mitigation Tech, demonstrating the system components, said another benefit is that the process also removes radon and moisture. The only cost to the homeowner will be approximately $6 a month for electricity to run the fans.
Answering questions, officials said the remediation could be a long process, and while the chemicals probably can never be completely removed, it is expected that eventually there will be no further exposure to individuals or the environment.
Also attending the meeting were representatives from the offices of State Senator Patricia McGee and Cattaraugus County Legislators Jim Ellis and Elliot Ellis, and Gowanda Village Trustee Shannon Lipinski.
Reports and documents regarding the remedial process for the AVM-Gowanda site are available at the Gowanda FreeLibrary.