EPA: Contaminated falls 'imminent threat' to public

Despite millions of dollars in cleanup efforts at the site, contamination of soil at Ithaca Falls remains an "imminent and substantial endangerment to public health and welfare," according to documents released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The new data, which is dated Aug. 12, was presented Monday by environmentalist Walter Hang, president of Toxics Targeting Inc. who first discovered contamination at the site in 2000, prompting a cleanup of the site.

"There are people all summer long who have been walking through this area who very likely have been exposed to harmful levels of lead," Hang said.

Residual lead contamination was discovered after an EPA investigation of the site in May, when 40 samples of the soil at the falls were collected. Nine were revealed to have concentrations of lead testing above the EPA's recommended level of 400 parts per million, testing between 540 to 30,600 ppm. These samples were discovered along the gorge floor.

One tested sample revealed a concentration of arsenic at 229 ppm, well above the recommended level of 67 ppm.

The documents state the existence of "an actual or potential exposure to human populations from hazardous substances at the site," with contaminated soil easily accessible to visitors at the site. Risks include a lack of a protective barrier to prevent migration of soils, the potential for visitors to transport contaminated soil on their clothes or shoes, and the potential for surface water runoff to transport contaminated particles into the waterway.

There are no safeguards to prevent access to the falls other than numerous signs along the pathway warning of lead contamination on the site. On Monday afternoon, the natural area was filled with tourists and onlookers lying on the rocks and walking the pathways of the park.

Though there is currently no documentation to indicate contamination is having an acute impact on the environment, traces of toxic chemicals related to the site's industrial legacy have been found in soil vapor beneath numerous homes in the adjacent neighborhoods. Around 30 were offered testing in 2014, with additional rounds of air quality testing in the area being offered to residents earlier this year. Release of the results of that information from the DEC is pending; however, elevated levels of the cancer-causing vinyl chloride have been found in samples taken in the area and confirmed by data obtained by Hang.

For the gorge site, the documents state delayed action to remediate the site could elevate the potential for public exposure to contaminated soils. Furthermore, migration of soils could extend the range of the area needing remediation.

Removal of approximately 200 cubic yards of soil from the site is planned this month, with work on the $400,000 removal effort lasting four to six weeks. This is equivalent to about 200 tons of material. However, Hang said the contamination is much more widespread than the gorge floor, saying contamination along the south wall of the gorge serves as evidence of a botched cleanup in years past.

Between 2002 and 2004, more than 2,000 tons of lead-contaminated soil and 4,000 tons of other material were removed from the site with heavy equipment, such as excavators and roll-off containers, and vacuums used to remove soil from hard-to-reach places, according to the EPA documents. In 2004, further removal of 258 cubic yards of material occurred on the site.

Yet, Hang said contamination of the gorge floor came from material falling from the island portion of the site, and to this day, lead shot and other proof of industrial contamination remain on the site, which he provided photos of on Monday.

To date, more than $4.8 million has been spent cleaning up the site.

Despite what he considers a botched cleanup, Hang said he has received almost no correspondence from city officials related to the site's cleanup and, after what he said were years of botched cleanup attempts, wants the site to be designated as an EPA Priority Superfund site, which would give the site "virtually unlimited funding for future remediation efforts." As it stands, the EPA is responsible only for cleanup of the gorge floor, leaving the gorge walls and the island area untouched.

Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency Director Nels Bohn could not be reached for comment on Monday.

Follow Nick Reynolds on Twitter @IJCityWatch