GENZALE PLATING epa region 2 r 1i inw CONGRESSIONAL DIST. 04 PDMPANY Nassau County V^Vyiwln I Franklin Square on Long Island NEW YORK EPA ID# NYD002050110 Site Description The '/2-acre Genzale Plating Company site comprised a metal-plating facility, an attached two- story office building and an undeveloped backyard area which served as a parking lot and storage area. Beginning in 1915 through 2000, the facility electroplated small products such as automobile antennas, parts of ball point pens, and bottle openers and is known to have discharged wastewater containing heavy metals as well as organic contaminants into four sub-surface leaching pits at the rear of the site. Although the facility was connected to the municipal sewer system in 1955, a 1981 Nassau County Department of Health (NCDH) inspection found that industrial wastewater continued to be discharged into the on-site leaching pits. The company was ordered by NCDH to cease the discharge and began, but never completed, the excavation of sludge and contaminated soils from the pits. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) conducted an investigation of the Genzale site in 1983 to determine the potential threat to public health posed by potential off-site migration of contaminants into the groundwater. As a result of this investigation, the site was added to the NPL. The site is situated in a densely populated residential area. There are seven supply wells located within one mile of the site. The nearest, the Franklin Square Water District well, is 1,400 feet southeast of the site. This water district supplies water to approximately 20,000 people. Another 32,000 people are supplied by West Hempstead-Hempstead Water District wells which are located within 3 miles of the site. The site is above Long Island's sole-source aquifers for municipal and private water supplies. Site Responsibility: This site is being addressed through Federal actions. NPL LISTING HISTORY Proposed Date: 06/01/86 Final Date: 07/01/87 GENZALE PLATING COMPANY 1 April 2002 ------- Threats and Contaminants ZE Chromium, cadmium, and nickel were detected in both on-site and off-site groundwater monitoring wells. In addition, on-site wells showed contamination by volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, residents are not at risk of drinking this contaminated groundwater water as they receive their drinking water from public water supplies which are routinely tested to ensure compliance with state and federal drinking water standards. Cleanup Approach This site has been addressed in two stages: two long-term response actions focusing on cleanup of the on-site soils and groundwater, and the investigation of downgradient groundwater. Response Action Status ^ Previous Actions: In 1982, the potentially responsible party partially completed i sludge removal and soil excavation from the leaching pits. Site Soils and Groundwater: In 1988, the EPA initiated the first phase of an lllill investigation to determine the nature and extent of contamination at the site. The study indicated that on-site soils and groundwater were contaminated with both inorganics and organics. In early 1991, a remedy was selected and documented in a Record of Decision (ROD). The remedy included the treatment of contaminated soils by soil vapor extraction (SVE) for organics contamination, followed by excavation and off-site treatment of soils for metals contamination. The design of the selected remedies was begun in late 1991. The design of the soil remedy was completed in September 1994. EPA had entered into an Interagency Agreement with the United States Army Corps of Engineers to perform the soil remedy. Construction activities for the soil vapor extraction unit were completed in July 1995. After approximately one year of operation, in May 1996, confirmatory soil sampling established that the soils had reached clean-up levels for organics and the unit was shut down and dismantled. EPA performed detailed sampling of the soils following the SVE action in order to delineate the metal contamination in a precise fashion. The excavation of soils contaminated with metals was completed in the fall of 1997. Prior to implementing the design for the groundwater remedy, EPA undertook a groundwater sampling program to determine the extent to which the soil remediation had effected groundwater contaminant levels; it was determined that significant contamination remained in the groundwater. EPA subsequently entered into an Interagency Agreement with the United States Army Corps of Engineers to complete the design of the groundwater remedy. In Spring 2001, EPA began a field scale pilot of an innovative in-situ technique to address the groundwater contamination underlying the Site; the results indicated that the technology was not appropriate for the site. EPA will be performing additional sampling this spring/summer to provide the information necessary to complete the design of a conventional groundwater extraction and treatment system. EPA intends to complete the design of the system this winter. Also in 2001, following the cessation of operations at the facility, EPA decided to perform sampling of the soil underlying the vacated plant building. This sampling indicated the presence of additional inorganic contamination; EPA is evaluating the most GENZALE PLATING COMPANY 2 April 2002 ------- appropriate means of addressing this contamination. r\ Downgradient Groundwater: Based on the results of the initial investigation, a second investigation was conducted to study groundwater contamination downgradient of the site. The study was completed in early 1995. No significant downgradient groundwater contamination was detected, therefore the nearby water supplies were not a risk of contamination and further off-site groundwater remedial action was not warranted. This decision was documented in a September 1997 ROD. Cleanup Progress After adding the Genzale Plating site to the NPL, EPA conducted an initial evaluation and determined that no immediate actions were needed. A SVE unit operated from May 1995 to July 1996, when soil clean-up levels, as mandated by the ROD, were achieved. Approximately 32,000 tons of soils were cleaned up. About 50 pounds of volatile and semivolatile organics were removed during the SVE operation. In June of 1995 all on-site debris were removed and taken off the site. During the summer of 1997 more than 5,500 tons of soil contaminated with metals were removed from the site and replaced with native sand. In May 2000, the Genzale plant ceased operations. The facility set aside funds for the decommissioning of the operational part of the site and the removal of the wastes generated during the decommissioning. The wastes were exported off-site for disposal. Decommissioning activities were completed in June 2000. Although there is no present danger to the drinking water supplies from site contamination, the EPA will ensure the safety of the water supply in the site area through implementation of the groundwater treatment system. GENZALE PLATING COMPANY 3 April 2002 ------- |