Anna Kelly of the EPA’s Emergency and Remedial Project Response Division said work at Massena’s former GM site has dug up far more contaminated soil than anticipated, but assured that the project will be seen through to completion.

 By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- A representative with the federal Environmental Protection Agency announced at a Thursday meeting of the North Country Redevelopment Task Force that 250 percent more contaminated soil than anticipated has been removed from the site to date.

As a result, the project is over budget.

“The EPA has given a commitment the project will continue, along with the RACER trust,” board chairman Tony Arquiett said.

Anna Kelly of the EPA’s Emergency and Remedial Project Response Division said a 2007 bankruptcy court settlement gave funds in expectation of removal of 121,000 tons of contaminated soil. But 335,000 tons have been dug up so far and the project still has a way to go.

“We far exceeded the estimated budget for the volume of matter,” Kelly said. A slideshow showed that they planned on a cubic yard of soil weighing 1.4 tons, but it came out between 1.8 and 1.9 tons.

“We pay (for removal) by weight, not by volume,” according to Kelly.

This sometimes happens with Superfund sites, she and Mullen noted.

“It’s not unusual we’re in the situation we’re in,” RACER cleanup manager Brendan Mullen said.

“You really don’t know what’s down there until you start digging,” Kelly said.

She and Mullen both said their agencies will see the project through to completion. He said the job should be done by 2016. Upcoming remediation will include a 10,000,000-gallon lagoon and the east disposal area. They will also install a groundwater control system.

“Not only are we committed, we’re liable,” Mullen said. “We’re going full-bore in 2014. We’re not laying up.”

Kelly noted that some of the increased tonnage is from deep underground pits of original, untreated sludge discovered about 40 feet down. She said the concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was as high as 500,000 parts per million – half pure PCBs -- while federal regulations call for a cleanup at 10 parts per million.

“It’s really pure PCB product,” Kelly said. The sludge is known as TSCA waste, meaning it is defined under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

It is being soaked up with wood pellets from Curran Logging that are sent for disposal by train.

She noted that the former GM site is unique to RACER cleanup projects because of its area and depth.

“It’s a huge cleanup,” Kelly said. “This is a different kind of project. Sub-surface projects are unique.”

The site is being cleaned up with funds put into the RACER Trust by General Motors after a 2007 bankruptcy court settlement. GM bought back all the properties they wanted to keep and the rest, 89 locations in 14 states, were given to RACER. Most of the cleanup money went to the Massena site, just over $121 million. There is a $68 million cushion fund to be shared among all the RACER sites.

The $121 million is supposed to cover 100 years of operations, maintenance and monitoring.

“We haven’t gone through $121 million,” Kelly said.

But Mullen noted that they may have to dip into the reserve fund this year. It’s not money they can just take as they please. They have to apply for it.

“It’s available for demonstrated need. We have a demonstrated need,” Kelly stated.

If the project goes over the $121 million budget and spends through the cushion fund, the federal Superfund program will cover the balance.

Despite going over budget, the task force board said it has been on-time and praised the cooperative work of local government, RACER, the EPA, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe and the contractors.

“It has been a very successful remediation project,” Mullen said.