Elmira High School Remediation Update - November 2018
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation sent this bulletin on 11/29/2018 03:44 PM EST |
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Elmira High School Remediation Update - November 2018 |
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Dear Elmira Residents, As you know, New York State is overseeing Unisys as they undertake a careful and comprehensive cleanup of portions of the Elmira High School (EHS) property through the Brownfield Cleanup Program. Our top priorities continue to be focused on ensuring that students, faculty and visitors do not come in contact with any of the site’s below-ground contamination and keeping the Elmira community informed of our actions. This past summer, we mailed a Community Update Newsletter (PDF) regarding our recent actions on the site, and the following update includes the latest information on the progress at EHS. In particular, this update provides the latest details on the actions this past summer and fall to remove soil contamination from the southeast parking area, ensure indoor air quality is not impacted, advance investigations to clean up the football field complex, and address health concerns raised by current and former staff. We encourage you to sign up for our listserv to continue receiving updates on these actions and future public information sessions, and we have included contact information for the key state experts who are always available to answer any questions you have about our efforts. Summer 2018 Southeast Parking Lot Cleanup & Restoration This past summer, Unisys completed the removal of contaminated soil from below the parking lot located on the southeast side of EHS. As a result, a substantial amount of below ground PCB-contaminated soil was removed from the lot. Following the cleanup and backfill with clean soil, the southeast parking area has been restored and the new bus loop and canopy have been constructed. The Material Storage Area (MSA) to the south of the school that was used for temporary storage of excavated materials on the STCC property has been cleared out and closed for the winter months. Indoor Air Quality Inside the high school building, Unisys completed a comprehensive evaluation of the indoor air quality and mitigation systems. Extensive testing was conducted of both the indoor air and air from beneath the building. The evaluation confirmed that the mitigation systems are effectively protecting the students and staff from contaminants beneath the building. While, there was a detection of TCE at an elevated level in the air below the school building beneath the building in room 148, there were no detections in indoor air inside the school at this location. However, out of an abundance of caution, Unisys installed an additional mitigation system in the Music Wing which is operational and has been tested to demonstrate its effectiveness. Additionally, all cracks in the floor throughout EHS were sealed and will continue to be monitored. The comprehensive evaluation also determined that the HVAC System is not needed to prevent contaminants beneath the building from affecting the indoor air quality. Based on this finding, the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) advised the high school that the HVAC system can be run in a normal mode as it was designed for the most efficient heating, cooling, and humidity control for the school. Unisys has submitted a Construction Completion Report to document the completion of work done inside the school. EHS Football Field Complex This past summer and fall, further sampling was completed of the Football Field/Track area in preparation for the cleanup work anticipated for 2019. An extensive grid of samples were collected at depths down to 14 foot below ground surface. The data was consistent with earlier sampling results, indicating PCBs-impacted soils below the surface primarily on the southern half of the field toward the school. North of the 50 yard line, some elevated metals and semi-volatile compounds were detected. Ground water sampling continued into the fall as Unisys prepares for the sizeable cleanup project. NYSDOH has provided guidelines to the school to allow for limited non-intrusive use of these fields in the interim. Unisys is designing the cleanup of the football field complex in the coming months, and DEC and DOH continue to work with the school and the State Education Department to plan for the restoration of the complex. As these plans are developed, DEC and DOH will continue to keep the community informed of the upcoming actions at the site. Faculty and Staff Health Concerns NYSDOH will be holding a meeting in response to staff concerns about their health and the possibility of conducting a health study of current and former staff. The meeting will be open to current and former staff and the goal of the meeting is to identify specific staff concerns, determine how NYSDOH can best address those concerns, and come to an agreement on future NYSDOH activities. The meeting will be held at 4 p.m., December 6, 2018 in the auditorium of the Elmira High School for current or former faculty and staff. Cleanup Actions on Adjacent Sites Outside of the school property cleanup work, this Fall Unisys prepared plans to clean up a former oil skimmer known to contain PCB contaminated sediments. Once approved, this work is scheduled to follow 2019 summer cleanup work at the school. Unisys also prepared plans for additional investigation work in Coldbrook Creek to further define the extent of contamination in creek sediments, flood prone areas and evaluate impacts to fish and wildlife. Once approved this work is scheduled to begin in early 2019. For properties along Coldbrook Creek or flood prone areas, based on the data collected so far, no immediate actions are needed to address potential exposure to contamination. However, PCBs and some metals are present in some sediments and soil adjacent to the creek and people should take simple precautions to limit exposure to sediment and soil within and near the creek. People should also follow NYSDOH health advice on eating sportfish and game. Ways to limit potential exposure include washing hands, avoiding incidental ingestion of soil, cleaning any soil covered tools and minimizing digging or relocating soil in areas where routine flooding occurs. Anyone living in the area with questions are encouraged to contact the NYSDOH experts listed below. More information New York State continues to work toward improving communications and outreach to the school community. Frequent and open discussions between DEC, DOH, Unisys, the Elmira School District, and all involved contractors were instrumental in the successful completion of this summer’s projects. This communication will continue as we plan for and implement the next phases of cleanup at the high school. We will continue to provide updates of our work to keep the school community informed, and in the meantime, here are some helpful links: Summer 2018 Community Update Newsletter (PDF) Who to Contact Comments and questions are always welcome and should be directed as follows: Project-Related Questions: Health-Related Questions: |
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