New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

January 2014

FACT SHEET

State Superfund Program

Receive Site Fact Sheets by Email. See "For More Information" to Learn How. Site Name: IBM - Kingston DEC Site #: 356002 Operable Unit 03 (* see note below) Address: Neighborhood Road Kingston, NY 12401
Have questions? See "Who to Contact" Below

Interim Corrective Measure Proposed; Public Comment Period Announced

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) is proposing an expedited cleanup for Solid Waste Manage Unit S (SWMU S) of the IBM - Kingston site (site) located at Neighborhood Road, Kingston, Ulster County. Please see the map for the site location. Documents related to the cleanup of this site can be found at the location(s) identified below under "Where to Find Information." NYSDEC is conducting a public comment period because this Interim Corrective Measure (ICM) is likely to represent a significant part of the cleanup for this site. How to Comment NYSDEC is accepting written comments about the proposed ICM work plan for 30 days, from January 29, 2014 through February 27, 2014. The proposed plan is available for review at the locations identified below under "Where to Find Information." Please submit comments to the NYSDEC project manager listed under Project Related Questions in the "Who to Contact" area below. Draft Interim Corrective Measure Work Plan An ICM is a cleanup activity that may be performed when a source of contamination or exposure pathway (the way in which a person may contact contamination) can be effectively addressed without extensive investigation and evaluation. The draft ICM work plan describes the proposed cleanup activities that include the: insertion of electrical conductive rods into the soil; conduction of electricity through these rods to heat up the soil and vaporize the contaminants and groundwater; collect ion of the vapors by vacuum extraction wells; separation of the water from the contaminants through selective condensation; purification of the water by passing it through carbon filters; and proper disposal of the condensed and filtered contaminants.

This process is called In-situ Thermal Desorption. In-situ means to treat the soils in place, without removing them from the ground. The primary contaminated area to be addressed is approximately 2500 square feet.

*Operable Unit: An administrative term used to identify a portion of a site that can be addressed by a distinct investigation and/or cleanup approach. An operable unit can receive specific investigation, and a particular remedy may be proposed.

Summary of the Investigation Through a combination of groundwater and subsurface soil sampling, a contaminant source area was identified at a solid waste management unit (SWMU) identified as SWMU S in building B001 (see attached map). The contaminant in this source area is undiluted (not dissolved in water) trichloroethane (TCA). The undiluted contaminant is approximately 20 - 25 feet below the surface. Next Steps NYSDEC will consider public comments, revise the plan as necessary, and approve the ICM work plan in consultation with New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH). The approved work plan will be made available to the public (see Where to Find Information below). After the work plan is approved, the activities detailed in the work plan will be implemented. Upon completion of the work, a Construction Completion Report will be prepared that documents the activities that were performed. NYSDEC will keep the public informed throughout the investigation and cleanup of the site. Background Location: The TechCity property is located approximately four miles north of the city of Kingston in the Town of Ulster, Ulster County. The property is bounded to the east by retail properties along John M. Clark Drive; to the north by Old Neighborhood Road, to the northwest and southwest by Esopus Creek, to the west by a residential private property, and to the south by residential private properties, a commercial development and Boices Lane. A stand-alone parcel (OU-8) also exists (0.886 acre) between Old Neighborhood Road and U. S. Route 209. Site Features: The SWMU S is located within a 258-acre property owned by Tech City, Inc. The majority of this 258-acre property is relatively flat, consisting of several buildings and several asphalt parking areas. Constitution Drive runs north-south through the approximate center of the 258-acre property and along the western boundary of the site. A 60-inch storm water drain cuts along the northern portion of the site and a 42-inch storm water drain cuts along the southern portion of the site. Many of the buildings are vacant. Others are occupied by commercial tenants. The property consists of 10 operable units (see attached map), Three of these operable units (OU-3, OU-3a, and OU-5) are listed as a Class 4 site, with a total acreage of 66.3 acres. A Class 4 site is an inactive hazardous waste disposal site that has been properly closed but requires continued site management consisting of operation, maintenance, and monitoring. The 258-acre property is the subject of an Order on Consent to define Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action and inactive hazardous waste disposal program requirements, where necessary. Current Zoning and Land Use: The property is zoned as the Tech City Redevelopment Overlay District which was implemented by the Town of Ulster to facilitate the redevelopment of Tech City. This specialized zoning precludes certain uses such as heavy industrial. A wide range of businesses may operate at the property: general office space, data processing, data warehousing, research and development, light-industry, manufacturing, call centers, internet and e-commerce businesses, and distribution center operations. Past Use of the Site: Prior to 1953, the 258-acre property was used as a farm, including a hanger to house a plane for crop dusting. After purchases of property by IBM in 1953 and 1980, various uses of the property included a powerhouse building, a sewage disposal facility, warehouse facilities, a salt barn, and temporary storage of hazardous waste. Manufacturing activities included computer

Page 2

and display manufacturing, computer programming, engineering laboratory, communications systems, mainframe computer components, software development, metal plating, electronic card etching, and paint shops. Starting in 1991, IBM began to transfer various activities to other facilities and, in 1994, announced its intention to close the facility and move all remaining personnel and operations. In 1998, TechCity, the current owner, bought the property. Site Geology and Hydrogeology: Throughout the 258-acre property, a surficial sand unit overlays a varved clay layer. At various locations throughout the site, a transition zone of intermediate permeability exists between the surficial sand and the varved clay layers. The depth to bedrock varies from a few feet within the vicinity of Constitution Drive to over a hundred feet in the eastern portion of the property . The thickness of the sand unit varies from a few feet to approximately 35 feet. The varved clay layer acts as an aquitard and is contiguous throughout the site. The sand unit and the transition zone have permeabilities which allow those aquifers to be routes of migration for groundwater contamination. The transition zone is not contiguous and only has localized impact. In general, overburden groundwater flows towards Esopus Creek. Additional site details, including environmental and health assessment summaries, are available on NYSDEC's website at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/cfmx/extapps/derexternal/haz/details.cfm?pageid=3&progno=356002

State Superfund Program: New York's State Superfund Program (SSF) identifies and characterizes suspected inactive hazardous waste disposal sites. Sites that pose a significant threat to public health and/or the environment go through a process of investigation, evaluation, cleanup and monitoring. NYSDEC attempts to identify parties responsible for site contamination and require cleanup before committing State funds. For more information about the SSF, visit: http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8439.html

FOR MORE INFORMATION Where to Find Information Project documents are available at the following location(s) to help the public stay informed. Town of Ulster Public Library Attn: Director 860 Ulster Avenue Kingston, NY 12401 phone: (845) 338-7881 (ulsterdirector@hvc.rr.com) Web site: http://townofulsterlibrary.org/ Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 10:00 am -5:00 pm Tuesday and Thursday 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm Saturday 10:00am - 3:00 pm M-F 9:00 am 5:00 pm Please call for appointment NYSDEC, Region 3 21 S. Putt Corners Road New Paltz, NY 12561

phone: (845) 256-3154

Page 3

Who to Contact Comments and questions are always welcome and should be directed as follows: Project Related Questions Wayne Mizerak Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Environmental Remediation 625 Broadway Albany, NY 12233-7014 (518)-402-9657 wjmizera@gw.dec.state.ny.us Site-Related Health Questions Kristin Kulow New York State Department of Health Bureau of Environmental Exposure Investigation 28 Hill Street Oneonta, NY 13820 (607) 432-3911 BEEI@health.state.ny.us

We encourage you to share this fact sheet with neighbors and tenants, and/or post this fact sheet in a prominent area of your building for others to see.

Receive Site Fact Sheets by Email Have site information such as this fact sheet sent right to your email inbox. NYSDEC invites you to sign up with one or more contaminated sites county email listservs available at the following web page: http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/61092.html. Its quick, its free, and it will help keep you better informed. As a listserv member, you will periodically receive site-related information/announcements for all contaminated sites in the county(ies) you select. Note: Please disregard if you already have signed up and received this fact sheet electronically.

Page 4

-S

Site No. 356002 IBM Kingston OU-3 outlined in red

S SWMU S

j
i