IBM Cleanup

8/13/2019 IBM Cleanup

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New York State Department o f Environmental Conservation

Site Name: IBM - Kingston DEC Site #: 356002 Operable Unit 03 (* see note below)Address: Neighborhood Road

Kingston, NY 12401

FACT SHEET State Superfund Program Receive Site Fact Sheets by

Email. See "For More Information" to Learn How.

January 2014

Have questions?See

"Who to Contact" Below

Interim Corrective Measure Proposed; Public Comment Period Announced

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) is proposing anexpedited cleanup for Solid Waste Manage Unit S (SWMU S) of the IBM - Kingston site (site)located at Neighborhood Road, Kingston, Ulster County. Please see the map for the site location.Documents related to the cleanup of this site can be found at the location(s) identified below under"Where to Find Information." NYSDEC is conducting a public comment period because this InterimCorrective Measure (ICM) is likely to represent a significant part of the cleanup for this site.

How to Comment NYSDEC is accepting written comments about the proposed ICM work plan for 30 days, fromJanuary 29, 2014 through February 27, 2014 . The proposed plan is available for review at thelocations identified below under "Where to Find Information." Please submit comments to the

NYSDEC project manager listed under Project Related Questions in the "Who to Contact" area below.

Draft Interim Corrective Measure Work Plan An ICM is a cleanup activity that may be performed when a source of contamination or exposure

pathway (the way in which a person may contact contamination) can be effectively addressed withoutextensive investigation and evaluation.

The draft ICM work plan describes the proposed cleanup activities that include the:

insertion of electrical conductive rods into the soil; conduction of electricity through these rods to heat up the soil and vaporize the

contaminants and groundwater; collect ion of the vapors by vacuum extraction wells; separation of the water from the contaminants through selective condensation; purification of the water by passing it through carbon filters; and proper disposal of the condensed and filtered contaminants.

This process is called In-situ Thermal Desorption. In-situ means to treat the soils in place, withoutremoving them from the ground. The primary contaminated area to be addressed is approximately2500 square feet.

*Operable Unit: An administrative term used to identify a portion of a site that can be addressed by a distinct investigation and/orcleanup approach. An operable unit can receive specific investigation, and a particular remedy may be proposed.


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Summary of the Investigation Through a combination of groundwater and subsurface soil sampling, a contaminant source areawas identified at a solid waste management unit (SWMU) identified as SWMU S in building B001(see attached map). The contaminant in this source area is undiluted (not dissolved in water)trichloroethane (TCA). The undiluted contaminant is approximately 20 - 25 feet below thesurface.

Next Steps NYSDEC will consider public comments, revise the plan as necessary, and approve the ICM work plan in consultation with New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH). The approved work plan will be made available to the public (see Where to Find Information below). After the work plan is approved, the activities detailed in the work plan will be implemented. Upon completion ofthe work, a Construction Completion Report will be prepared that documents the activities that were

performed.

NYSDEC will keep the public informed throughout the investigation and cleanup of the site.

Background Location: The TechCity property is located approximately four miles north of the city of Kingstonin the Town of Ulster, Ulster County. The property is bounded to the east by retail properties alongJohn M. Clark Drive; to the north by Old Neighborhood Road, to the northwest and southwest byEsopus Creek, to the west by a residential private property, and to the south by residential private

properties, a commercial development and Boices Lane. A stand-alone parcel (OU-8) also exists(0.886 acre) between Old Neighborhood Road and U. S. Route 209.

Site Features: The SWMU S is located within a 258-acre property owned by Tech City, Inc. Themajority of this 258-acre property is relatively flat, consisting of several buildings and several asphalt

parking areas. Constitution Drive runs north-south through the approximate center of the 258-acre property and along the western boundary of the site. A 60-inch storm water drain cuts along thenorthern portion of the site and a 42-inch storm water drain cuts along the southern portion of the

site. Many of the buildings are vacant. Others are occupied by commercial tenants. The propertyconsists of 10 operable units (see attached map), Three of these operable units (OU-3, OU-3a,and OU-5) are listed as a Class 4 site, with a total acreage of 66.3 acres. A Class 4 site is an inactivehazardous waste disposal site that has been properly closed but requires continued site managementconsisting of operation, maintenance, and monitoring. The 258-acre property is the subject of anOrder on Consent to define Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action andinactive hazardous waste disposal program requirements, where necessary.

Current Zoning and Land Use: The property is zoned as the Tech City Redevelopment OverlayDistrict which was implemented by the Town of Ulster to facilitate the redevelopment of Tech City.This specialized zoning precludes certain uses such as heavy industrial. A wide range of businessesmay operate at the property: general office space, data processing, data warehousing, research anddevelopment, light-industry, manufacturing, call centers, internet and e-commerce businesses, anddistribution center operations.

Past Use of the Site: Prior to 1953, the 258-acre property was used as a farm, including a hanger tohouse a plane for crop dusting. After purchases of property by IBM in 1953 and 1980, various usesof the property included a powerhouse building, a sewage disposal facility, warehouse facilities, asalt barn, and temporary storage of hazardous waste. Manufacturing activities included computer

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and display manufacturing, computer programming, engineering laboratory, communicationssystems, mainframe computer components, software development, metal plating, electronic cardetching, and paint shops. Starting in 1991, IBM began to transfer various activities to other facilitiesand, in 1994, announced its intention to close the facility and move all remaining personnel andoperations. In 1998, TechCity, the current owner, bought the property.

Site Geology and Hydrogeology: Throughout the 258-acre property, a surficial sand unit overlays avarved clay layer. At various locations throughout the site, a transition zone of intermediate

permeability exists between the surficial sand and the varved clay layers. The depth to bedrockvaries from a few feet within the vicinity of Constitution Drive to over a hundred feet in the eastern

portion of the property . The thickness of the sand unit varies from a few feet to approximately 35feet. The varved clay layer acts as an aquitard and is contiguous throughout the site. The sand unitand the transition zone have permeabilities which allow those aquifers to be routes of migration forgroundwater contamination. The transition zone is not contiguous and only has localized impact.In general, overburden groundwater flows towards Esopus Creek.

Additional site details, including environmental and health assessment summaries, are available on NYSDEC's website at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/cfmx/extapps/derexternal/haz/details.cfm?pageid=3&progno=356002

State Superfund Program: New York's State Superfund Program (SSF) identifies and characterizessuspected inactive hazardous waste disposal sites. Sites that pose a significant threat to public healthand/or the environment go through a process of investigation, evaluation, cleanup and monitoring.

NYSDEC attempts to identify parties responsible for site contamination and require cleanup beforecommitting State funds.

For more information about the SSF, visit: http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8439.html

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Where to Find Information Project documents are available at the following location(s) to help the public stay informed.

Town of Ulster Public Library Attn: Director 860 Ulster Avenue Kingston, NY 12401

phone: (845) 338-7881([email protected] )

Web site: http://townofulsterlibrary.org/

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 10:00 am -5:00 pmTuesday and Thursday 12:00 pm - 8:00 pmSaturday 10:00am - 3:00 pm

NYSDEC, Region 3 21 S. Putt Corners Road

New Paltz, NY 12561

phone: (845) 256-3154

M-F 9:00 am 5:00 pmPlease call for appointment

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Project Related QuestionsWayne Mizerak Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Environmental Remediation

625 BroadwayAlbany, NY 12233-7014 (518)-402-9657 [email protected]

Site-Related Health QuestionsKristin Kulow

New York State Department of HealthBureau of Environmental Exposure Investigation

28 Hill Street Oneonta, NY 13820 (607) 432-3911 [email protected]

Who to ContactComments and questions are always welcome and should be directed as follows:

We encourage you to share this fact sheet with neighbors and tenants, and/or post this factsheet in a prominent area of your building for others to see.

Receive Site Fact Sheets by Email Have site information such as this fact sheet sent right to your email inbox.

NYSDEC invites you to sign up with one or more contaminated sitescounty email listservs available at the following web page: http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/61092.html . Its quick, its free,and it will help keep you better informed .

As a listserv member, you will periodically receive site-related information/announcements for all contaminated sites in the county(ies) you select.

Note: Please disregard if you already have signed up and received this fact sheet electronically.

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IBM Cleanup

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