Meeting held in Massena to update progress on Grasse River cleanup – WatertownDailyTimes.com

MASSENA Construction continues on land-based facilities that will support in-river work as part of Arconics cleanup of the Grasse River.

Weve started construction of the staging area, which is the first step. Theres a minimal amount of work in the river. So far, so good, Young Chang, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency remedial project manager said during an informational open house Wednesday night in Massena.

Construction on land-based facilities began this spring and is expected to continue through early 2018. The work includes construction of a staging area next to the river, near the intersection of County Route 42 and Route 131. The staging area will be used to unload sediments dredged from the near-shore areas and to load clean capping and backfill materials that will be placed in the river during the in-water portion of the project.

A final design for the in-river portion of the remediation project is still ongoing, Ms. Chang said. She said studies continue and the design has gone through several iterations.

Thomas Sullivan, executive director of the Business Development Corporation for a Greater Massena, asked when in-river work is expected to begin. Ms. Chang said there would likely be some in 2018, but most in 2019.

Donald Lucas, who said he lives within a block of the plants main gate, voiced concerned about the area.

Last week, they were cleaning muck off the road with a high pressure wash. Id like to see that road closed down for the project, he said.

Mr. Lucas said that while the road cleanup last week didnt involve contaminated material, he was concerned that some could find its way onto the road. But Ms. Chang said no contaminated materials would end up on public roads.

What you saw was the clay, said Bruce Cook, Arconic project coordinator, noting the clay was a result of heavy rains in the area and Arconic had since taken steps to ensure it wouldnt occur again.

My concern is whats going to migrate out on their wheels, Mr. Lucas said. But Mr. Cook said, there would be no contaminated material on the wheels. He said cleanup workers are required to meet Department of Transportation regulations whenever they transport material across any regulated road.

Those regulations prevent you from having those kind of situations. The rules are very strict, he said.

Mr. Lucas said he would also like to see an additional air monitor placed on an overpass near the intersection of Center Street and Liberty Avenue in case the winds shifted and brought gaseous material toward Massena .

Prevailing winds dont always go west. If theres any gaseous material, its going to blow right into my window, he said.

Heather VanDewalker from Arcadis, a consulting firm working with Arconic, said four air monitors would surround the landfill, including one on the southwest side, to capture any change in wind direction. She said daily monitoring is for particulates, PCBs and other materials.

Ms. Chang said that, as construction work continues on land-based facilities, she plans to hold monthly meetings monthly in Massena. Once in-river work begins, she said the meetings would become more frequent. Ms. Chang said if in-river work starts in 2019 as scheduled, there is an approximate completion date of 2022.

Mr. Lucas wondered if the work would involve shutting the river down to recreational boaters. But Ms. Chang said that wouldnt be the case.

Well schedule our work so theres always access available, she said.

In 2013, the EPA finalized a cleanup plan for river sediment contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as a result of past industrial activities at Arconic, formerly Alcoa. Arconic is performing the work on the estimated $243 million project. The EPA, the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe are overseeing and coordinating various components of the cleanup project.

Grasse River cleanup will be through dredging and capping of contaminated sediment in a 7.2-mile stretch. The plan calls for dredging about 109,000 cubic yards of sediment from near-shore areas. In the main channel, about 59 acres of sediment will be covered with an armored cap and about 225 acres of contaminated sediment will be capped with clean sand and topsoil to isolate the contamination.

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Meeting held in Massena to update progress on Grasse River cleanup - WatertownDailyTimes.com