EPA Finalizes Plan to Address Potential Contamination at Properties near the Facet Enterprises, Inc., Superfund Site in Elmira Heights, New York

 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA Finalizes Plan to Address Potential Contamination at Properties near the Facet Enterprises, Inc., Superfund Site in Elmira Heights, New York

Contact: Mike Basile, (716) 551-4410, basile.michael@epa.gov

               Stephen McBay, (212) 637-3672, mcbay.stephen@epa.gov

NEW YORK (October 29, 2021) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized its plan to address vapor intrusion at certain residential and commercial properties as part of the cleanup of the Facet Enterprises, Inc., Superfund site in Elmira Heights, New York. The final decision, in the form of a Record of Decision (ROD), calls for the installation of vapor mitigation systems to vent hazardous vapors that rise through the soil which can potentially affect indoor air quality and harm human health.

“EPA’s decision will protect residents and workers from dangerous vapors that can potentially enter buildings through places such as cracks in the foundation and openings for utility lines,” said Acting Regional Administrator Walter Mugdan. “It is important to note that the systems to vent these vapors will be installed at no cost to the owners. Meanwhile, because the contamination at the site remains, EPA will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the systems and remain in close contact with property owners.”

To date, 264 residential and commercial properties have been sampled for vapor intrusion of volatile organic compounds, primarily trichloroethylene (known as TCE). EPA has already installed 60 mitigation systems to direct any potential vapors from under the property to the outside air and plans to install seven more systems at properties identified during recent sampling. The NYSDEC is installing an additional 11 systems. EPA will continue to sample properties in the study area and anticipates that up to an additional 75 properties could be identified as requiring mitigation.

The Facet Enterprises, Inc., facility, a 31-acre parcel of land, is in the Village of Elmira Heights. The facility previously made products such as bicycle parts, automobile engine components and small arms for the military. The facility is currently operated by Motor Components LLC for the manufacture of electric fuel pumps.

EPA selected a remedy in September 1992 to address the contaminated soil, sediment, and groundwater at the facility property. Purolator Products, Inc., a potentially responsible party, entered into an agreement with EPA to perform the 1992 cleanup activities. These activities included excavating contaminated soil and sediments, installing wells to extract contaminated groundwater from the aquifer at the facility property and installing a treatment system to treat the extracted groundwater using an air stripper. The groundwater pump and treat system located at the facility property has been operational since 1997.

On July 22, 2021, EPA proposed this plan to the public and held an in-person and virtual public meeting on July 28, 2021, to explain the plan and take comments. The Record of Decision released today, which has the support of New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, addresses the comments received and formalizes EPA’s selected cleanup plan.

EPA’s Record of Decision and the agency’s responses to public comments will be available at www.epa.gov/superfund/facet-enterprises.

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