Technical Metal Finishersnewtowncreek.info/docs2/2 Remedial Investigation... · Technical Metal Finishers Draft Upland Site Summary Report May 2012 Newtown Creek RI/FS 2 120782-01.01

Technical Metal Finishers Draft Upland Site Summary

Draft Upland Site Summary Report May 2012 Newtown Creek RI/FS 1 120782-01.01

TECHNICAL METAL FINISHERS (DAR SITE ID #43)

Address: 214 Starr Street, Brooklyn, New York 11237 Tax Lot Parcel(s): Brooklyn Block 3199, Lot 16 Latitude: 40.70497601 Longitude: -73.92290977 Regulatory Programs/ Numbers/Codes: NYSDEC No. 224008, USEPA ID No. NYD980780894 Analytical Data Status: Electronic Data Available Hardcopies only No Data Available

1 SUMMARY OF CONSTITUENTS OF POTENTIAL CONCERN (COPCs) TRANSPORT PATHWAYS TO THE CREEK

The current understanding of the transport mechanisms of COPCs from the upland portions of the Technical Metal Finishers site (site) to Newtown Creek is summarized in this section and Table 1 and supported in the following sections. Overland Transport The site is located approximately 0.45 mile from Newtown Creek and associated waterways. This is not a complete historical or current pathway. Bank Erosion The site is not adjacent to Newtown Creek or associated waterways. This is not a complete historical or current pathway. Groundwater Groundwater quality information for this site was not identified in documents available for review. The site is located approximately 0.45 mile from Newtown Creek and associated waterways. There is insufficient evidence to make a historical or current pathway determination.

Technical Metal Finishers


Overwater Activities This site is not adjacent to Newtown Creek or associated waterways and has no overwater activities. This is not a complete historical or current pathway. Stormwater/Wastewater Systems Information regarding on-site stormwater infrastructure and management was not identified in documents available for review. The site is within the Newtown Creek Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP) sewershed. Stormwater and wastewater discharges from the site flow into a combined municipal sewer system. When the combined flows exceed the system’s capacity, untreated combined sewer overflows (CSOs) are discharged at Outfall NC-015 to English Kills, a tributary to the Newtown Creek study area (NYCDEP 2007). There is insufficient evidence to make a historical or current pathway determination for direct discharge of stormwater, wastewater, and sewer/CSO. Air Releases Information regarding site air discharges was not identified in files available for review. There is insufficient evidence to make a historical or current pathway determination.

2 PROJECT STATUS

The site was in the state Superfund program until 1986 when it was delisted from the registry due to hazardous waste removal from the site (NYSDEC 2012). A summary of investigation and remedial activities at the site is provided in the following table.

Activity Date(s)/Comments

Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment

Site Characterization

Remedial Investigation

Remedy Selection

Remedial Design/Remedial Action Implementation

June 1982 – site clean-up, soil removal, and

building demolition

Use Restrictions (Environmental Easements or Institutional Controls)

Construction Completion

Site Closeout/No Further Action Determination



3 SITE OWNERSHIP HISTORY

Respondent Member: Yes No Ownership history at the site is summarized in the following table:

Owner Years Occupant Types of Operations

Unknown circa 1933 – 1940 Unknown Dairy products

Technical Metal Finishing Corporation

1940 – 1982 Technical Metal Finishers Electroplating, metal

finishing, nondestructive testing, and painting

City of New York 1983 – 1996 Vacant Unknown

Gheorghe Sita and Joan Sita

1996 – present Vacant Parking lot

4 PROPERTY DESCRIPTION

The property occupies approximately 0.18 acre and is at approximately 34 feet above mean sea level sloping down from southeast to northwest. The site contains no permanent structures and consists of dirt and gravel. Newtown Creek is located approximately 0.84 mile north of the site, and English Kills is located approximately 0.60 mile northwest of the site. The site is bordered by Starr Street to the northwest and buildings of unknown use to the northwest, southeast, and southwest. The area is zoned M1-1 (manufacturing). M1 districts are manufacturing districts designated for areas with light industrial uses adjacent to residential or commercial uses (NYCDCP 2012). A 2010 aerial photograph of the site is presented as Figure 1.

5 CURRENT SITE USE

Little information is available for the site, and its current use is unknown. From the aerial photograph, the site currently contains no permanent structures and appears to be used as a storage area and parking lot (see Figure 1).



6 SITE USE HISTORY

The first known operation at the site was a dairy products facility (Sanborn 1933). By 1940, Technical Metal Finishing Corporation opened a metal plating and polishing material business at the site (State of New York 1940). Technical Metal Finishing Corporation operated at the site until 1982. In June 1982, after responding to a fire at the abandoned site, officials discovered contaminated waste acids, caustics, and cyanides stored in tanks and drums (NYSDEC 2012). The property was foreclosed upon in May 1983 (Commissioner of Finance, City of New York 1983). Technical Metal Finishing Corporation was charged with reckless endangerment and four counts of violating the New York State Environmental Conservation Law (New York Amsterdam News 1983). In 1984, Cooper Properties, Inc., of New Jersey, the owner of Technical Metal Finishing Corporation, was fined $100,000 for violating hazardous waste laws at the abandoned factory by leaving behind uncovered vats and drums (New York Daily News 1984). The wastes were removed, and the building was demolished (NYSDEC 2012). Gheorghe Sita and Joan Sita purchased the parcel from the City of New York in 1996 (City of New York 1996).

7 CURRENT AND HISTORICAL AREAS OF CONCERN AND COPCS

The current understanding of the current and historical potential upland and overwater areas of concern at the site is summarized in Table 1. The following sections provide brief discussions of the potential sources and COPCs at the site requiring additional discussion.

7.1 Uplands

Potential historical contaminant sources at the site include a former processing area and a chemical tank and drumming area that contained waste acids, caustics, and cyanides. The COPCs for these sources have included volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), and metals.



7.2 Overwater Activities

This site is not adjacent to Newtown Creek or associated waterways and has no overwater activities.

7.3 Spills

Reviewed records did not indicate current or historical spills.

8 PHYSICAL SITE SETTING

Site-specific hydrogeologic information was not identified in documents available for review. The geologic setting for Newtown Creek consists of impermeable Precambrian and Paleozoic crystalline bedrock, overlain by the Upper Cretaceous Raritan formation, Magothy formation and Matawan Group (undifferentiated), unconsolidated Pleistocene deposits and upper Pleistocene glacial deposits and Holocene shore, beach salt-marsh deposits, and alluvium, along with local occurrences of artificial fill (Buxton et al. 1981; Soren and Simmons 1987). The primary areas of groundwater discharge are Newtown Creek and its tributaries and the East River (Misut and Monti 1999). In the vicinity of Newtown Creek, groundwater flow in the Upper Glacial aquifer is generally north and south towards the creek. With increased distance from the creek, groundwater will flow towards the nearest surface water body to discharge (Misut and Monti 1999). Incidences of perched groundwater may occur above the Upper Glacial Aquifer in some areas, particularly in formerly low-lying areas that have been filled. Groundwater flow at a specific property may differ from the regional pattern due to pumping for groundwater treatment or dewatering activities (Misut and Monti 1999), the presence of buried utilities, or other preferential pathways.



9 NATURE AND EXTENT (CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS)

9.1 Soil

Soil Investigations Yes No Bank Samples Yes No Not Applicable Soil-Vapor Investigations Yes No Soil investigation information was not found in reviewed documents.

9.2 Groundwater

Groundwater Investigations Yes No NAPL Presence (Historical and Current) Yes No Dissolved COPC Plumes Yes No Visual Seep Sample Data Yes No Not Applicable Groundwater investigation information was not found in reviewed documents.

9.3 Surface Water

Surface Water Investigation Yes No SPDES Permit (Current or Past) Yes No Industrial Wastewater Discharge (IWD) Permit (Current or Past) Yes No Stormwater Data Yes No Catch Basin Solids Data Yes No Wastewater Data Yes No

9.3.1 Stormwater and Wastewater Systems

Information regarding on-site stormwater infrastructure and management was not identified in files available for review. The site is within the Newtown Creek WPCP sewershed. Stormwater and wastewater discharges from the site flow into a combined municipal sewer system. When the combined flows exceed the system’s capacity, untreated CSOs are



discharged at Outfall NC-015 to English Kills, a tributary to the Newtown Creek study area (NYCDEP 2007).

9.4 Sediment

Creek Sediment Data Yes No Not Applicable Sediment investigation information was not found in reviewed documents.

9.5 Air

Air Permit Yes No Air Data Yes No Information related to air emissions was not found in reviewed documents.

10 REMEDIATION HISTORY (INTERIM REMEDIAL MEASURES AND OTHER CLEANUPS)

In 1982, tanks and drums of waste acids, caustics, and cyanides were discovered when a fire occurred at the abandoned plant. The wastes were removed and clean-up was initiated by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP). All tanks and debris has been removed from the site, soil has been excavated, and the building has been demolished (NYSDEC 2012). The quantities of chemicals located at the site and amount of soil removed during clean-up was not found in reviewed documents.

11 BIBLIOGRAPHY/INFORMATION SOURCES

Buxton et al. (Buxton, H.T., City of New York, 1996. Indenture to Gheorghe Sita and Joan Sita. March 12, 1996.

Commissioner of Finance, City of New York, 1983. Deed. May 17, 1983.

EDR (Environmental Data Resources, Inc.), 2010. EDR DataMapTM Environmental AtlasTM for “Newton Creek Queens, New York.” November 4, 2010.



Misut and Monti (Misut, P.E., and Monti, J. Jr.), 1999. Simulation of Ground-Water Flow and Pumpage in Kings and Queens Counties, Long Island, New York. U.S. Geological Survey. Water Resources Investigations Report, 98-4071. 1999.

New York Daily News, 1984. Fined 100G in Violation of Hazardous Waste Law. New York Daily News. January 25, 1984.

New York Amsterdam News, 1983. Firm Charged with Improper Toxic Storage. New York Amsterdam News. April 30, 1983.

NYCDCP (New York City Department of City Planning), 2012. Zoning. Accessed February 8, 2012. Available from: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/subcats/zoning.shtml

NYCDEP (New York City Department of Environmental Protection), 2007. Landside Modeling Report, Sewershed Characteristics and Model Calibration. City-Wide Long Term CSO Control Planning Project. Newtown Creek WPCP Service Area. Draft. New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Engineering Design and Construction. July 2007.

NYSDEC (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 2012. Environmental Site Remediation Database Search. Accessed January 8, 2012. Available from: http://www.dec.ny.gov/cfmx/extapps/derexternal/index.cfm?pageid=2

State of New York, Division of State Planning, 1940. Industrial Directory of New York State. 1940.

Sanborn (Sanborn Map Company), 1933. Insurance Maps of the Borough of Brooklyn, New York. Volume 9: Sheet 48.

Soren and Simmons (Soren, J. and Simmons, D.L.), 1987. Thickness and Hydrogeology of Aquifers and Confining Units Below the Upper Glacial Aquifer on Long Island, New York. U.S. Geological Survey. Water-Resources Investigations Report 86-4175. Scale 1:125,000.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/subcats/zoning.shtml

http://www.dec.ny.gov/cfmx/extapps/derexternal/index.cfm?pageid=2



12 ATTACHMENTS

Figures Figure 1 Site Vicinity Map: Technical Metal Finishers

Tables Table 1 Potential Areas of Concern and Transport Pathways Assessment



Table 1 Potential Areas of Concern and Transport Pathways Assessment – Technical Metal Finishers

Potential Areas of Concern Media Impacted COPCs Potential Complete Pathway

Description of Areas of Concern Su

rfac

e So

il

Subs

urfa

ce S

oil

Gro

undw

ater

Catc

h Ba

sin

Solid

s

Cree

k Se

dim

ent

TPH VOCs

SVO

Cs

PAHs

Phth

alat

es

Phen

olic

s

Met

als

PCBs

Herb

icid

es a

nd

Pest

icid

es

Diox

ins/

Fura

ns

Ove

rland

Tra

nspo

rt

Gro

undw

ater

Dire

ct D

isch

arge

–

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er

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ct D

isch

arge

–

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m/W

aste

wat

er

Disc

harg

e to

Se

wer

/CSO

Bank

Ero

sion

Air R

elea

ses

Gas

olin

e-Ra

nge

Dies

el –

Ran

ge

Heav

ier –

Ran

ge

Petr

oleu

m R

elat

ed

(e.g

., BT

EX)

VOCs

Chlo

rinat

ed V

OCs

Dairy operations ? ? ? ? -- ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? -- ? -- -- ? -- ?

New York City operations ? ? ? ? -- ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? -- ? -- -- ? -- ?

Metal plating and polishing material processing activities

? ? ? ? -- ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? -- ? -- -- ? -- ?

Abandoned chemical vats, and tank and drum storage areas

? ? ? ? -- ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? -- ? -- -- ? -- ?

Notes: √ – COPCs are/were present in areas of concern having a current or historical pathway that is determined to be complete or potentially complete. ? – There is not enough information to determine if COPC is/was present in area of concern or if pathway is complete. -- – Current or historical pathway has been investigated and shown to be not present or incomplete. BTEX – benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene COPC – constituent of potential concern CSO – combined sewer overflow PAH – polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon PCB – polychlorinated biphenyl SVOC – semi-volatile organic compound TPH – total petroleum hydrocarbon VOC – volatile organic compound

S T E W A R T A V

FLU

S HIN

G A

V

I R V I N G A V

J O H N S O N A V

I R V I N G A V

V A R I C K A V

W Y C K O F F A V

P O R T E R A V

W Y C K O F F A V

I NG R A H A M

S T

MEL

RO

SE ST

H A R R I SO N

P L

T H A M E S S T

G R A T T A N S T

STA

NH

OPE

ST

S TO

CK

HO

LM ST

DE

KA

LB A

V

HA

RT

ST

SUYD

AM

ST

WIL

L OU

GH

BY

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STA

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ST

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UTM

AN

ST

J EFF

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N ST

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15

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45

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ProductsProductsWilcoWilco

FinishingFinishingCorp.Corp.

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!. USEPA Sample Locations (Surface and Subsurface)Shoreline (NYC Dept. of Information Technology, 2006)USGS Nat'l Elev. Dataset 5-foot ContoursSelected Site Property BoundaryNeighboring Site Property Boundary

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Site Vicinty MapDraft Upland Site Summary: Technical Metal Finishers

Newtown Creek RI/FS

Figure 1

NOTES:1. Outfall Labeling: BB: Bowery Bay; NC(B/Q): Newtown Creek, Brooklyn/Queens; ST: Stormwater.2. Outfall locations are preliminary, compiled, estimated data based on New York City Department ofEnvironmental Protection (NYCDEP) maps and tabulated data and other resources. Many outfall locationswere taken from the New York City Shoreline Survey Program: Newtown Creek Water Pollution Control PlantDrainage Area, NYCDEP, March 31, 2003. Other locations were taken from an excerpt from a similar reportfrom 2008 (the complete report was not included in files available for review). Finally, some outfall locationswere inherited from previous Anchor QEA and Newtown Creek Project work. Latitudinal and longitudinal dataprovided in the 2003 and 2008 NYCDEP reports were rounded to the nearest second. This resulted inpotential outfall location discrepancies of up to approximately 200 feet. All outfall locations are currentlyunder field verification.3. Aerial Photos: New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, 2010.4. Site Boundaries are based on New York City parcels data.5. Coarse topographic contours are derived from U.S. Geological Survey 10-meter data.

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Technical Metal Finishersnewtowncreek.info/docs2/2 Remedial Investigation... · Technical Metal Finishers Draft Upland Site Summary Report May 2012 Newtown Creek RI/FS 2 120782-01.01