GM Cleanup a Reality
Central Foundry Superfund Site - Decades in the Making
The Akwesasne community has three Superfund sites impacting our health and environment. One of these sites is former General Motors Central Foundry site bordered by the St. Lawrence River to the north, the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe to the east, the Raquette River to the south and property owned by Alcoa and CSX to the west
While in operation, various industrial wastes were generated and disposed of on-site, namely, two disposal areas (the North Disposal Area and the East Disposal Area), an industrial landfill and four industrial lagoons. PCBs have been found in the groundwater, on- and off-property soil, and sediment in the St. Lawrence and Raquette Rivers, Turtle Cove and Turtle Creek. Groundwater was also found to be contaminated with volatile organic compounds and phenols have been detected in lagoon sludge, as well as in the disposal areas.
Over the past seven decades of discovery, remediation and restoration, several important milestones occurred.
1960s and 70s
General Motors (Central Foundry) uses polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in casting process and periodically dumps sludges containing PCBs and other hazardous substances on-site.
1980s
Newspaper articles appeared stating cancer-causing PCBs had contaminated groundwater at the Central Foundry plant and may have seeped onto the Reservation. The Tribe was not initially notified.
Individual test wells drilled on and near the site were found to contain PCBs, Mirex, heavy metals (lead, cadmium and chromium), benzene and traces of trichloroethylene.
St. Lawrence County Environmental Management Council moderated meeting to discuss St. Lawrence University’s report, “Hydrogeology and Groundwater Quality of Raquette Point Adjacent to the Central Foundry Landfill.” Invited are New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), Tribal officials and GM Central Foundry officials. Central Foundry refuses to attend stating they know of no evidence showing their landfill is causing any health problems.
Tribe requests and receives documents and inclusion from U.S. EPA in cleanup discussions.
GM is placed on the Federal Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) and fined $507,000 by the USEPA, which charged GM with 21 counts of illegal dumping and storage of PCB laden waste under the Toxic Substances Control Act.
Fish and wildlife contaminant sampling was conducted by NYSDEC and Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe (SRMT) Environment Division in Akwesasne near the GM facility. Sampling of a turtle at Cove finds 835 ppm PCBs. Anything above 50 ppm is considered hazardous waste. Additional sampling at Cove of turtle finds 3,000 ppm of PCBs and a shrew with 12,000 ppm PCBs. Fish monitoring results indicate elevated PCBs in fish. A fish consumption advisory is issued by Mohawk Health officials and New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH).
GM implements interim remedial measures, including the closing, grading, and temporary capping of the industrial landfill.
1990s
The USEPA issues a Record of Decision (ROD) for a first operable unit that includes sediment, soil, and sludge excavation and treatment, as well as groundwater recovery and treatment and second operable unit that includes a mix of treatment and containment of soils including remediation of eastern disposal area and industrial landfill. Over 18,000 cubic yards of contaminated material is dredged from the St. Lawrence River and 7,000 cubic yards from the south side of the plant. USEPA proposes the on-site treatment level be changed from 10 ppm to 500 ppm. With heavy public opposition, USEPA rescinds the proposed change and any soils or sediments over 10 ppm are removed off-site.
Akwesasne Residents Picket GM Plant - 1995
2000s
Remediation activities began in the 350k inactive lagoon, 1.5m gallon inactive lagoon, and the northern and southern aeration basin. 12,400 cubic yards (cy) of PCB-contaminated sediment and soils on the Raquette River bank were removed and 4,600 cy of PCB- contaminated sediment was removed between the dump and cove.
Groundwater, soil, sediments, and fish testing continues by GM, by order by USEPA, SRMT, and State agencies.
GM declares bankruptcy and closes permanently. Motors Liquidation Company (MLC) is created from the bankruptcy settlement of $773 million. A Natural Resource Damage Settlement was paid by consent decree to the Tribe. Valued at over $9.5 million in shares, it sold for a disappointing $1.8 million USD.
The Trust will manage 89 properties. The goal is to clean them up and sell them. $120 million is dedicated to the GM Massena property.
2010s
Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response (RACER) is formed to manage the Trust.
150,000 tons of contaminated soils are removed off-site from under the concrete slab under the demolished building and in the die cast tunnels.
Additional wells are installed to monitor groundwater for PCBs, phenols and VOCs. The 10-million gallon lagoon project removed 835 tons of waste and 23,261 tons of sludge. Soils with less than 500 ppm PCBs were stored on-site and capped.
From 1979 to 1999, GM installed 92 monitoring wells. Twelve of those wells are located on Tribal property. In 2000, GM abandoned (removed) 30 monitoring wells. Three of those wells were on Tribal property. In 2007, GM installed 20 on-site monitoring wells. In 2015, Racer installed 14 on-site monitoring wells. From 2016 to 2020, Racer abandoned 51 monitoring wells.
Site restoration continues with demolition of remaining buildings, perforating all concrete and asphalt surfaces and filling in storm water catch basins.
Groundwater, soil, sediments and fish testing continues by RACER by order by USEPA, SRMT, and State agencies.
2020
Final site restoration, which began in 2017, included building demolition, backfill and grading, small repairs to roads, and a water system down-sizing. Chain link fence was installed to enclose property along both north and south sides of properties adjacent to the landfill in the areas of Turtle Creek and Turtle Cove.
2021 and future
Sampling work plans are currently being reviewed for collecting soil and sediment samples from Reservation properties adjacent to the GM dump. Once the sampling investigation is approved and implemented, it will delineate the last source location of PCB contamination identified in Record of Decision. The results of the sampling investigation will be used to write the Remedial Design Work Plan, which describes how the materials will be excavated.
The Racer Interim Site Management Plan is currently in review. This important document contains details for long-term operation and maintenance for how the property will be monitored and inspected. The long-term monitoring will include groundwater monitoring well sampling and fish sampling.
USEPA issued the Fourth Five-Year Review Report for the General Motors Central Foundry Division site in 2020 regarding remedy effectiveness and human health protectiveness goals.
This and previous years' reports are available for download from the Tribe's website at https://www.srmt-nsn.gov/environment/remediation-restoration/superfund/general-motors-superfund-site under the publications tab.
Kanien’kéhaka people fished, hunted, gathered and harvested traditional foods and medicines on the local land and rivers since time immemorial. Akwesashró:non recognize these ancestral lands based on mutual respect and responsibility. These resources and their traditional uses were impacted by industry chemicals and economic uses of the land. The remediation and restoration of the General Motors Central Foundry site is a positive step towards restoring this relationship.
