Source: http://www.stargazette.com, February 2, 2017
By: Amanda Renko
The state Department of Environmental Conservation has recommended cleanup of the former Corning Hospital site under the state’s brownfield program.
A site investigation turned up elevated levels of groundwater and soil contaminants at the two-parcel site in the City of Corning, according to information released Thursday by the DEC. The site is slated for redevelopment into apartments, office and retail space.
About 60 soil samples and 37 groundwater samples were collected at 176 Denison Parkway East and 201 E. First St. starting last spring to determine whether contamination occurred at the site, according to the DEC. An investigation report found elevated levels of trichloroethene — an industrial solvent used for degreasing and cleaning metal parts prior to finishing or painting — in groundwater at the site.
Metals related to past railroad or petroleum storage uses were found in soils at the site, including arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury.
The contaminants are attributed to fill that was previously used at the site and potential previous off-site groundwater contamination sources, according to the DEC. Concentrations of the compounds were only slightly above the agency’s groundwater and soil standards, with the exception of an isolated part of the site.
People are not expected to come into contact with contaminated soil or groundwater at the site, as the parcels are served by a public water supply and unauthorized access to the site is restricted.
Demolition of the former hospital building began last fall to prepare the parcels for redevelopment. Guthrie closed the facility in 2014 after opening a new hospital campus off Interstate 86 in East Corning.
The 4.77-acre site was home to several operations prior to the hospital, including railroad lines, gas stations, a machine shop, a tin shop and residential use. An underground storage tank was removed from the site in 1998, and previous studies found fill at the site containing ash, cinders, glass, brick and ceramic, according to the DEC.
Following the DEC’s review and approval of the investigation report, Guthrie will be expected to complete an analysis describing how to address contamination within 90 days. The department will then review that report and present a proposed remedy for the site, which will be subject to public review and comment.
The state’s brownfield program encourages voluntary cleanup of sites where contaminants are present at levels exceeding standards set by the agency, allowing those properties to be redeveloped.