Source: http://www.dailyfreeman.com, February 1, 2018
By: William J. Kemble
The state Department of Environmental Conservation will review what steps might be necessary to remove contamination at the site for a former dry cleaner on state Route 32.
The department said in a written statement that the 1.94-acre property at 1090-1094 Route 32 is above a groundwater source that is between 8 and 19 feet below the surface.
The contamination, however, does not raise the risk of drinking water being contaminated “because the area is served by public water,” the department said.
Also, it said, “contact with soil contamination is unlikely since a majority of the site is covered by buildings and pavement.”
The site, owned by Aero Star Petroleum, has a 15,000-square-foot building on it that the state says is used for storage. There also is a mound of soil and debris, which the state says has the highest concentrations of the contamination. The debris is the result of the demolition of other buildings on the site that were part of a small plaza.
“A dry cleaner reportedly operated on the site until the business burned down in 1981,” the Department of Environmental Conservation said. “A hardware store and a diner also operated on site until around 2009.”
The contaminants include tetrachloroethene, trichloroethene, cis-1,2, dichloroethene and vinyl chloride, the department said, adding that it has concerns about the substances migrating to the Rondout Creek, which is less than a quarter-mile north of the site.
“Past investigations in the area have determined that chlorinated solvent contamination exists at the site,” the department said. “Tetrachloroethene (PCE) and its byproducts are present in the site’s subsurface. PCE is a contaminant often associated with dry cleaning operations.”
The environmental department previously suspected the contamination to be coming from the Citgo gas station across Route 32 from the site but said in 2014 that an investigation pointed instead to the former Rosendale Cleaners.
The review of steps needed to clean up the site will include boring to evaluate subsurface soil and drilling groundwater wells for monitoring.
“The information collected during the site investigation may also support the conclusion that no action, or no further action, is needed to address site-related contamination,” the environmental department said.
Representatives for Aero Star Petroleum were not immediately available for comment Thursday.