Diaz Chemical Corporation
Holley, NY	
Site Description
The Diaz Chemical Corporation manufactured specialty chemicals for the agricultural, pharmaceutical,
photographic, color and dye, and personal care products industries on this five-acre site beginning in 1974.
The company had a long history of spills, releases and discharges of various materials to the environment. In
January 2002, a safety valve at the facility ruptured, causing a chemical release into the neighboring
residential area. Area residents experienced nosebleeds, skin rashes, sore throats, headaches and eye
irritation. Some residents voluntarily relocated, initially at Diaz Chemical's expense, but, eventually, relocation
costs were paid by EPA. In 2003, the company filed for bankruptcy and abandoned the facility leaving behind
large volumes of chemicals in drums and tanks that have contaminated soil and groundwater with volatile and
semi-volatile organic compounds. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in 2004.The nearest
municipal drinking water supply well is located less than one mile south of the site.
Current Site Status and Cleanup Actions to Date
•	From 1994-1999, Diaz Chemical conducted a site investigation under the direction of the New York
State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). Results showed site soils and
groundwater and nearby properties were contaminated with volatile and semi-volatile organic
compounds. Diaz Chemical installed a groundwater extraction and treatment system pursuant to an
NYSDEC record of decision (ROD).
•	In 2005, EPA signed a ROD for the property acquisition and permanent relocation of eight owner-
occupants and two individual tenants who remained in temporary quarters.
•	In 2007, based on indoor air sampling results, EPA installed vapor mitigation systems in two homes.
An additional home had a carbon filtration system installed in 2009.
•	In 2012, EPA signed a ROD to address the contaminated soil and groundwater. The selected remedy
includes building demolition and the utilization of electrodes to heat the soil and groundwater in six
source areas, causing the contaminants to evaporate and turn into vapor and steam, which will be
collected and treated. Natural attenuation will address the groundwater contaminants in the areas
downgradient of the source areas.
•	To date, EPA's cleanup progress includes shipping more than 8,000 drums and more than 112,000
gallons of hazardous wastes off site for reuse and/or disposal. Also, 105 reactor vessels and 34
storage tanks have been emptied and decontaminated. More than 51,000 linear feet of facility piping
(accounting for 95 percent of the existing piping) has been dismantled and removed.
•	The building demolition design was completed in July 2014. EPA anticipates that the in-situ thermal
treatment design will be completed by August 2015.
•	EPA has determined that all unacceptable human exposure pathways have been eliminated, and
therefore, under current conditions, human exposure is under control site-wide.
Unfunded Action
Fiscal Year 2014 work that was not funded included building demolition and off-site disposal of the demolition
debris and in-situ thermal soil and groundwater treatment to be followed by monitored natural attenuation of
groundwater contamination.
Current Funding Status
To date, EPA has spent approximately $12.5 million on construction work at the site.
For more information on this site, please read the on the Diaz Chemical Corporation site information on the
Region 2 Superfund website.

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