New York Site Secures Funding

$1.9 million in state funding has been secured for the cleanup of environmental contamination at the former Roblin Steel site in the City of Dunkirk in Chautauqua County, New York. This funding will provide 90 percent of eligible costs for on-site remediation and up to 100 percent of eligible costs for off-site remedial activities. This award is in addition to $335,000 in state and federal grants previously obtained for the investigation and remedial design of the site.

Abandoned and vacant for nearly two decades, the former Roblin Steel site is considered one of the county’s highest priority brownfield redevelopment sites. The county acquired the property through tax foreclosure in December of 2001 when a full on-site investigation was conducted and revealed contamination of the soil, sediment and groundwater. Contaminants identified at the site include metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and semi-volatile organic compounds from the burning of fossil fuels.

With this award, Chautauqua County will proceed with the remediation of approximately 12 acres of inactive industrial park. The project will include:

the excavation and off-site disposal of debris and contaminated surface and subsurface soils
placement of an asphalt pavement that will cover a portion of the site
concrete or clean-soil cover over additional contaminated portions of the site
removal of asbestos from within the existing structure
removal of contaminated sediment from interior building sumps, catch basins
installation of a sub-slab ventilation system for the existing building, combined with treatment of groundwater to remove contamination
the establishment of an environmental easement in order to protect the integrity of the remediation

Remediation and redevelopment of the contaminated property will fully utilize the area’s existing infrastructure, while avoiding the potential impacts and additional costs associated with construction on undeveloped green space. The remediation of the former Roblin Steel site represents a major stimulus to the local economy in terms of employment, capital investment and tax revenues. BFN