Hoosick Falls Update: Results from 34 Locations Show No Soil Cleanup Needed at Residential Properties, Football & Recreational Fields Community Update No. 5 September 201


Hoosick Falls Update:
Results from 34 Locations Show No Soil Cleanup Needed at
Residential Properties, Football & Recreational Fields
Community Update No. 5
As part of its on-going work in Hoosick Falls, NY, in May 2016, the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sampled soil at a
number of residential properties near the Saint-Gobain McCaffrey
Street facility to determine if soil in the area has been impacted by
past operations at the facility. Soil samples were also collected from
the swampy, wooded area southeast of the McCaffrey Street facility,
and the football field and picnic area at the end of Waterworks Road.
Based on an assessment of data collected to date, PFOA levels
found in soil do not necessitate any additional sampling or
cleanup work in any of the areas sampled at this time. The levels
of PFOA and related compounds from the May 2016 sampling are
similar to those detected by EPA at the Waterworks Road ball fields
and park and the Hoosick Falls Athletic Field, which were also
found to be well below the EPA's site-specific action level for
PFOA in soil.
Based on the data, EPA:
•	Does not plan any further actions at either the residential properties or the other areas
sampled, including the swampy, wooded area southeast of the McCaffrey Street facility, or the
football field and picnic area at the end of Waterworks Road;
•	Does not see a need for any closure or restriction of the football field or picnic area, which
were thoroughly sampled;
•	Does not see a need for any restrictions to be placed on the normal use of the residential
properties. Therefore, additional investigation of the soil is not needed in any of the areas
sampled at this time; and
•	Considers the soil at the football field and the residential properties to be acceptable for
recreational and everyday use.
Soil Sampling Results
Levels of PFOA and the related compound perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) ranged from non-detect to
0.0277 parts per million (ppm) combined, as compared with the EPA's site-specific action level of 1 ppm
for the combined level of PFOA and PFOS in soil. This site-specific action level for soil was developed
to be consistent with the Agency's assessment of the latest peer-reviewed science on health effects for
PFOA which was used to establish the recently-issued lifetime drinking water health advisory of 70 parts
per trillion (ppt).
Many of the contaminants that EPA looked for were not detected, and others were found at levels well
below EPA action levels. Two naturally-occurring metals, cobalt and manganese, were found at three
residential properties at elevated levels below 12 inches. The cobalt and manganese do not appear to be
related to the facility and EPA does not believe they present a health concern. Soil sample results for the
swampy area southeast of the McCaffrey Street facility and the football field and picnic area at the end of
Waterworks Road are available on EPA's Hoosick Falls webpage at
http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/hoosick-falls-water-contamination.
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September 2016
WHAT IS PFOA?
Perfluorooctanoic acid
(PFOA) belongs to a group of
chemicals used to make
household and commercial
products that resist heat and
chemical reactions and repel
oil, stains, grease and water.
PFOA was widely found in
non-stick pots and pans,
carpets and fire-fighting
foam.

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The results from EPA's previous soil sampling events are also posted on the same webpage. The results
of the residential sampling are being provided directly to the property owners.
How Was the Soil Sampled?
Soil samples were collected from 21 locations at 14 residential properties and two other parcels on
Carey Avenue between Waterworks Road and the west end of Carey Avenue. EPA also sampled soil
from five locations within the swampy, wooded area southeast of the McCaffrey Street facility, and
eight locations on the football field and picnic area at the end of Waterworks Road. At every sampling
location, samples were collected from two shallow depths (0-3 inches and 3-12 inches below the ground
surface). At approximately a third of these locations, additional samples were collected from several
deeper intervals reaching down to the water table.
Soil samples were analyzed for a wide range of contaminants including PFOA and related chemicals, as
well as volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and metals.
McCaffrey Street Site Proposed for EPA's Superfund List
In addition to the soil sampling discussed above, the EPA also conducted Hazard Ranking System
(HRS) sampling this spring to determine if the McCaffrey Street site is eligible for inclusion on the
federal Superfund National Priorities List. This HRS sampling effort included sampling of soil,
groundwater and storm drains at the McCaffrey Street facility. The HRS is a system EPA uses to score
and evaluate potential threats to public health and the environment posed by uncontrolled releases or
threatened releases of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants. Sites that score at or above the
required threshold qualify for remedial action under the Superfund program and are proposed for listing
on the EPA National Priorities List, a list of the most serious sites identified for long-term cleanup.
Based on the results of the HRS sampling, on September 9, 2016, the McCaffrey Street site was
formally proposed for inclusion on the EPA's National Priorities List. More information about the
proposed Superfund listing, and the associated public comment period, which runs until November 8,
2016, is available on EPA's Hoosick Falls webpage: http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/hoosick-falls-water-
contamination.
All fact sheets are also available on EPA's Hoosick Falls webpage, and copies are being provided to the
Tops Market and Cheney Library in Hoosick Falls.
As the overall investigation progresses, an Information Repository will be established at a local library
where the public can review and copy records related to EPA's work in Hoosick Falls.
For more information please contact:
Larisa Romanowski
U.S. EPA
Community Involvement Coordinator
(518) 407-0400
romanowski.larisa@epa.gov
Visit the EPA's website at:
http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/hoosick-falls-water-contamination
Version 2 09/26/16

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