All News Releases By Date

EPA Removes Remaining Chemical Hazards, Asbestos and Debris from Building Demolitions at Abandoned Quanta Resources Site in Syracuse

Release Date: 01/27/2000
Contact Information:

(#00020) NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has carted away the last of the hazardous wastes and contaminated soils from the abandoned Quanta Resources, Inc. site, a waste oil processing facility located at 2802-2810 Lodi Street in Syracuse that shut down in the1980s. During the federal Superfund cleanup that began in October, EPA also removed and safely disposed of friable (crumbly) asbestos insulation from boilers inside two buildings on the site. The asbestos insulation was frequently exposed to wind and rain due to the deterioration of the buildings, which the Agency subsequently demolished. The building debris was also shipped off-site for disposal. Human exposure to friable asbestos through inhalation can lead to chronic and acute lung ailments. "Our action was needed to eliminate the danger of human exposure to hazardous materials at the site," EPA Regional Administrator Jeanne M. Fox said. "With the last of the hazardous materials gone and the buildings on the site demolished, we have removed that threat." EPA safely disposed of 247 bags of friable asbestos and approximately 50,000 gallons of hazardous liquid and sludge from underground storage tanks (USTs). The Agency also disposed of 900 tons of soil grossly contaminated by leaking USTs. Finally, EPA shipped 1200 tons of demolition debris to a construction and debris landfill. The total cost of EPA's cleanup of this site was approximately $2.2 million. EPA will return to the site this spring to place a vegetative cover over the ground to reduce soil erosion. After that, EPA will turn it over to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, which will investigate whether any further chemical contamination remains at the site that would impact its future use and the environment. This cleanup is the most recent in a series of federal actions at Quanta Resources that started in 1990 when the Agency sampled all the above and below ground tanks, sumps, drums and insulation on tanks and boilers. EPA then collected and secured the drums indoors, repaired tanks to prevent leaks and completed other spill prevention measures. Later, the contents of the aboveground tanks, drums and sumps were shipped off-site for proper disposal. EPA also decontaminated and dismantled storage tanks and process pipes and shipped the 185 tons of scrap steel for recycling. This phase of the cleanup was completed in1992. In 1997, EPA safely disposed of two 55-gallon drums and a 5-gallon container of flammable liquids that were illegally discarded at the site, which prompted the Agency to upgrade security measures there to prevent trespassing and vandalism. "All these cleanup efforts at Quanta Resources add up to another success story for the Superfund removal program. Without it, communities like Syracuse often have nowhere to turn when faced with the perilous legacy of improper hazardous waste handling and disposal," Ms. Fox stated. EPA has used its Superfund enforcement authority to recover approximately $1.5 million of the federal government's costs in the cleanup of the site from parties deemed responsible for the contamination.