United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5502G)
EPA520-F-92-009
Fall 1992
& EPA Su pertu nd At Work
Hazardous Waste Cleanup Efforts Nationwide
American Thermostat
Site Description:
Former thermostat assembly plant in
South Cairo, New York
Site Size: Approximately 8 acres
Primary Contaminants:
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs),
other organic compounds, arsenic,
chromium, and lead
Potential Range of Health Risks
Without EPA Cleanup:
Liver, kidney, circulatory system,
central nervous system damage; direct
contact with contaminated soil, or
ingestion of contaminated ground water
could cause cancer
Nearby Population Affected:
5,000 within a 3-mile radius
Ecological Concerns:
Contamination of nearby Catskill Creek
and a local pond
Year Listed on NPL: 1983
EPA Region: II
State: New York
Congressional District: 2
Innovative Air Stripping Technique for Ground Water
Pressurized air
pumped through soil
into ground water
Volatile organic
compounds and
other contaminants
trapped in air
bubbles
Success In Brief
EPA Mobilizes to Safeguard
Community and Eliminate
Chemical Waste
EPA's Superfund program decisively mitigated dangerously high
levels of toxic chemicals at New York's American Thermostat
Corporation (ATC) hazardous waste site. Superfund staff:
• Quickly sampled area drinking wells and treated over
10 million gallons of contaminated ground water;
• Used innovative technologies to reduce on-site soil and
ground water contamination;
• Secured a permanent alternate water supply for affected
residents; and
• Initiated a public outreach effort which gained support
for cleanup activities.
The American Thermostat site is a prime example of EPA's
commitment to preserve the health and welfare of citizens and
the environment.
The Site Today
Cleanup has reduced the threat of exposure to site contaminants.
Monitoring wells, carbon treatment units, vapor extraction and air
stripping systems have been
installed. Over 10 million gallons of
contaminated ground water have
been treated. Volatile organic com-
pound (VOC) levels have been
reduced by over 80% in adjacent
wells, and the ATC well shows a
90% decrease of VOCs. Cleanup
construction is underway. Comple-
tion of the alternate water supply is
scheduled for December 1992.
Cleanup plans for polluted soil and
sediments are currently being final-
ized, and should be officially re-
leased by October 1992.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region 5, Library (PL-12J)
77 West Jackson Boulevard, 12th Floor
Chicago, IL 60604-3590
Air bubbles carrying
contaminants
removed, decreasing
ground water
contamination
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Superfund At Work
American Thermostat, South Cairo, NY
Fall 1992
A Site Snapshot
The American Thermostat
Corporation (ATC) hazardous
waste site is located in South
Cairo, New
York. The site
borders a
popular tourist
and light
residential area.
Private
homes are located
near the site's eastern and
western boundaries, and
approximately 5,000 people live
within a three-mile radius of
the site.
Operations in the former as-
sembly plant took place in one
large building; machine oils,
lubricants, and solvents were
utilized in the assembly process.
Pollution from plant operations
has been found in the soil, ground
water, and another plant building.
-JS6C
Waste chemical sludges con-
taining volatile organic com-
pounds (VOCs) were disposed of
directly into
abandoned
septic systems
and dumped
on-site. Asa
result, ground
water and
drinking water in the vicinity were
contaminated.
Catskill Creek, which is classi-
fied as a trout stream and located
less than one-quarter of a mile east
of the site, was sampled in early
1980 but showed no evidence of
contamination.
Eating, drinking or coming into
direct contact with ground water
or soil contaminated with VOCs
could adversely affect the liver,
kidneys, or central nervous system,
and increases the risk of cancer.
The America]
Corporate Ne
Improper Dumping Practices
Led to Extensive Contaminat
Between 1954 and 1985, AT
produced thermostats for sma
appliances at the South Cairo
site. In March 1981, two ATC
employees were observed dui
ing sludge and solvents onto t
plant parking lot.
This triggered immediate
investigations into the
company's waste handling
practices by the New York Sta
Department of Environmental
Conservation (NYSDEC) and
American Thermostat
Site Timeline
• Site listed on National Priorities List
• NYSDEC orders polluter to clean up site
• Polluter installs new septic system
and carbon filtration for discharges
• ATC installs carbon filters on affected wells 4
• ATC discovered dumping wastes by NYSDEC
• ATC provides bottled water to affected residents
1 Superfund legislation passed
Improper disposal of hazardous wastes at
tnermostat manufacturing facility
1954
1980 1981 1982 1983
Page 2
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Superfund At Work
American Thermostat, South Cairo, NY
Fall 1992
liermostat Story:
igence Leads to Soil and Drinking Water Contamination
MJOr
New York State Attorney General's
Office. Findings revealed a high level
of VOC contamination over approxi-
mately 16 million
gallons of ground water
on and near the site.
Subsequently, water
samples collected in ,, „",
five privately-owned i r «Cs,,,
wells in the ATC vicin- , ; r *.
ity revealed high levels "",,. 4,.
ofVOCs. —w***^**
The primary threat to
area residents was in the water
supply. Therefore, the local health
department immediately advised
affected residents not to drink or cook
with their well water. As a result,
ATC began supplying bottled water
to local residents in
April 1981. By late
1982, ATC had
installed carbon
filters on its own
well and the af-
fected residential
wells. The polluters,
^^^^^^^ ATCandAMRO
Realty Corporation,
agreed under state orders to clean up
the site and its surroundings, supply
bottled water for cooking and drink-
,1", I
ai ion
ing purposes, and install, monitoi
and maintain carbon filter system
for the five affected homes. In Jut
1983, ATC installed a new on-site
4,500 gallon septic system and, in
September 1983, the company
provided carbon filtration for sep
system discharges to lower VOC
levels. However, when ATC ceas
operations and filed involuntary
bankruptcy in May 1985, they als<
stopped providing bottled water
and maintaining the carbon filter
systems in the affected homes.
Polluter files bankruptcy, ceases cleanup efforts
EPA samples area wells, installs new and maintains
existing carbon filtration units
Soil cleanup design completed
Plan issued to address all
contamination
Alternate water supply
design completed
Ground water design begins
Site cleanup
complete
(planned)
Actions begin to
connect alternate
water supply
Soil and sediment
treatment begins
On-going ground
water monitoring
1985
1988
1990 1991 1992
1994
Page 3
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Superfund At Work
American Thermostat, South Cairo, NY
Fall 1992
EPA Protects Citizens
and the Environment
at American Thermostat Site
The site was listed on the
National Priorities List (NPL)
in September 1983. The NPL is
EPA's list of the nation's worst
abandoned hazardous waste
sites eligible for cleanup under
the Superfund program.
At the request of New York
state, EPA took charge of the
situation in June 1985 and
to
began sampling private wells
on an ongoing basis. To reduce
contamination levels in tiie
water, EPA installed two new
carbon filtration units on
private wells, and began main-
tenance on previously installed
units. Operation of the carbon
units has reduced the potential
for exposure to high concentra-
tions of contaminants in resi-
dent wells.
EPA also installed an air
stripping system on two highly
contaminated wells. (See
diagram on page 1.)
The innovative
air stripping units
were developed by
an EPA specialist,
and have been
extremely success-
ful in reducing the
level of contami-
nants in the ground
water. While
cleaning the
ground water, the
air stripping system
creates a barrier to
prevent further
migration of con-
taminants, and EPA
continuously monitors these
systems.
Despite these effective, short-
term measures, it was evident that
local residents required a perma-
nent alternative drinking water
source. Recognizing this, EPA
formalized their plan in 1988 to
permanently provide drinking
water after receiving comments
from local residents.
The plan called for an extension
of the Village of Catskill's water
district to approximately 43 af-
fected properties. The Village
owned the water supply and
initially refused to supply the
water, claiming the extra 43 resi-
dences would strain the water
capacity.
The Search for Alternate Water
Locating a permanent drinking
water source for South Cairo
was difficult. Nearby Catskill was
selected, and following negotiations,
an agreement was reached. The
water system construction is underway;
completion is set for December 1992.
In October 1991, following
three years of complex negotia-
tions with the Village of
Catskill, interested local citizen
groups and the New York
state government, EPA and the
Village finally signed an
agreement for the extension of
water lines. Design of the
alternate water supply plan
was completed in September
1991, and construction is
scheduled for completion in
December 1992.
Page 4
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Superfund At Work
American Thermostat, South Cairo, NY
Fall 1992
EPA Solicits
Community
Support
In light of the initial skepti-
cism residents expressed over
the feasibility of connecting to
the new water supply, EPA
undertook a public outreach
effort through letters, tele-
phone calls, and public
meetings to reflect public
concerns and suggestions in
the water extension plan. As
a result, over 90% of the
residents affected by the
ground water contamination
now support EPA's plan and
have signed letters requesting
that their homes be connected
to the new water supply.
The extension of the water
lines will provide a perma-
nent and reliable source of
water to residents, and pre-
vent exposure to contami-
nated ground water.
EPA Makes Commitment to
Long-Term Cleanup
In June 1990, a separate plan 1991; initial work began at that
was formally released to the
public that involved the cleanup
of all remaining contamination at
the site. Specifically, the plan
called for cleanup of the affected
soil, ground water and pollution
inside the assembly plant build-
ing. The most contaminated solid
and waste materials were exca-
vated and treated by heating
them at low temperatures (400° C)
until the wastes evaporated into
gases. A vapor extraction system
then collected the gases.
The on-site building is sched-
uled for decontamination via
vacuuming and dusting of con-
taminated surfaces. Eighteen
waste-oil drums stored in the
building and contaminated with
hazardous waste materials will
receive off-site treatment and be
disposed at an EPA-approved
facility, along with sludge wastes
from drain pits inside the build-
ing. The building cleanup plans
were completed in September
Soil Decontamination At American Thermostat
Excavated soil
moved to
treatment facility
Vapor extraction
system collects
n contaminants
from gases
Contaminated soil heated to
400°C until volatile
contaminants evaporate
Decontaminated
soil returned to
excavated area
As knowledge about hazardous wastes has grown, the EPA has developed several
methods for soil decontamination. Based on the type of contamination at the American
Thermostat site, the soil was treated with a low-temperature heat to evaporate the
volatile organic compounds.
time.
Treatment of the ground water,
however, will require a compre-
hensive management and mainte-
nance program to ensure the
effectiveness of the treatment
system. The ground water will be
treated using filtration, air strip-
ping, and carbon absorption.
Afterwards, the treated water will
be re-injected on-site.
Ground water cleanup will
begin in the summer of 1993. The
scheduled ground water treat-
ment period is estimated to last
approximately 30 years. Ground
water cleanup is estimated at $26
million, including an annual
operations and maintenance cost
of $1.3 million for 30 years.
Contaminated sediments from
a residential pond adjacent to the
site are scheduled to be excavated
and treated concurrently with the
soil. The treated soil and sedi-
ments will then be returned to the
excavated areas, and the surface
will be covered with clean soil.
Any remaining contaminated soil
or sediments that pose health
risks will be disposed off-site at
an EPA-approved facility.
Source control cleanup designs
have been completed and imple-
mentation will begin by the end
of 1992. Only treated soils and
sediments with contaminants
continued on back page
Page 5
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Superfund At Work
American Thermostat, South Cairo, NY
Fall 1992
Commitment
to Long-Term
Cleanup
continued from page 5
well below established safety
levels will be re-deposited. After
the soil and sediments are
treated, extensive long-term
management and monitoring
will not be required. The total
soil cleanup cost is $3 million,
with operations and mainte-
nance costs of $100,000 per year.
If you wish to be added to our mailing list
or to comment on this bulletin's content,
length or format,
please call (703) 603-8984
or send a letter to
Superfund At Work (5502G),
401 M Street SW, Washington, DC 20460.
Success at
American Thermostat
By promptly addressing
the immediate threats to the
public from contaminated
drinking water, the Super-
fund program gained the
confidence of citizens ad-
versely affected by contami-
nation at the hazardous
waste site.
EPA was quick to re-
spond to environmental
concerns, and conducted
comprehensive cleanup
actions to mitigate imminent
and potential threats.
Public participation in
selecting cleanup remedies
was encouraged, and over
90% of the community is
satisfied with the new water
supply plan.
EPA's efforts have been
successful in decreasing the
risk of soil and ground water
contamination from volatile
organic compounds.
Although cleanup activities
will continue until 1994,
the potential for exposure to
site contaminants for area
residents has been largely
eliminated.
For additional copies of this or other Superfund At Work updates,
contact the National Technical Information Service, U.S. Department of Commerce,
5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161, telephone (703) 487-4650.
5-EPA
United States Environmental Protection Agency
5502G
Washington, D.C. 20460
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