Niagara River Toxics Management Plan (NRTMP) Reports

Reduction of Toxic Loadings to the Niagara River From Hazardous Waste Sites in the United States - October 2000

Table Of Contents

• Executive Summary
• Introduction
• Summary of Remediation Progress
• Overview of Remediation Status
• Highlights of Recent Actions
• Estimated Remediation Costs
• Acronyms
• Glossary
• References

Appendix: Priority Niagara River Hazardous Waste Sites

• Occidental Chemical -- Buffalo Avenue
• Niagara County Refuse Disposal
• DuPont Necco Park
• CECOS International
• Occidental Chemical -- Hyde Park
• 102nd Street
• Bell Aerospace Textron
• Occidental Chemical -- Durez Division, Niagara Falls 
       (formerly BTL Specialty)
• Occidental Chemical, S-Area
• Stauffer Chemical
• Solvent Chemical
• Vanadium Corporation of America (formerly SKW Alloys)
• Olin Corporation
• DuPont -- Buffalo Avenue
• Buffalo Color Corporation
• Buffalo Color -- Area D
• Bethlehem Steel Corporation
• River Road (INS Equipment)
• Niagara Mohawk -- Cherry Farm
• Frontier Chemical, Pendleton
• Frontier Chemical, Royal Avenue
• Occidental Chemical -- Durez Division, North Tonawanda
• Gratwick Riverside Park
• Mobil Oil
• Iroquois Gas-Westwood Pharmaceutical
• Booth Oil

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY  

Since 1987, the Niagara River has been the focus of attention for four environmental agencies in the United States and Canada ("The Four Parties"). In a Declaration of Intent, the Four Parties committed to reducing toxic chemical inputs to the Niagara River. Hazardous waste sites were considered the most significant non-point source of toxics to the river. Therefore, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) identified 26 U.S. sites responsible for over 99% of the estimated input from all such sites on the U.S. side of the basin, and put them on ambitious remediation schedules. Remediation of the sites is intended to virtually eliminate the migration of toxic pollutants from the sites.

All remedial construction has been completed at 14 of the sites. The remedial technology will be operated and monitored for effectiveness for years to come at those sites. Remedial actions are underway at 9 sites. Four of these are interim remedies, including 3 sites under interim remediation while final remedies are being designed or investigated, and one site where an interim remedial action was completed and an effort to identify potentially responsible parties is underway. At 7 of the 9 sites where remedial actions are underway, significant remedial controls are already operating. For many of these sites, the load reductions are substantial. The remaining sites are under design or study.

Based on various simplifying assumptions, EPA estimates that remediations to date have reduced the potential inputs into the river by approximately 90% This estimate is based primarily on the sites where the final remedial action is completed. It does not include the load reductions at all the sites where remedial controls are operating, though the reductions may be substantial. Therefore, the actual reductions to date may exceed 90%. Through 2001, completion of Remedial Actions is expected at five more sites, summarized below. Current schedules call for all sites to be remediated by 2003.

Recent accomplishments in remediation of the priority waste sites include the following:

Remedial construction was completed at the Niagara County Refuse Disposal site. Installation of the leachate collection system and its tie-in to the municipal sanitary sewer system was completed in early 1999 and the system is operational. Construction of the landfill cap was completed in June 2000. A final inspection was conducted in September 2000.

Through 2001, completion of final remedial actions is expected at the following sites:

Occidental Chemical Corp. S-Area - The overburden drain collection system and cap for the old Niagara Falls Drinking Water Treatment Plant property were completed in 1999. The drain collection system for the landfill portion of the S-area site was replaced and is now operating. Construction of the final landfill cap and securement of the water intake structure from the old DWTP began in August 2000.

Occidental Chemical Corp. Hyde Park - Four additional extraction wells were connected by force mains to the on-site treatment facility in 1999 and 2000. A groundwater model is being completed to assist in the placement of additional extraction wells, which will ensure effective hydraulic containment. Remedial action completion is expected by December 2001.

Solvent Chemical - Installation of the extraction system in the off-site hot spot has been completed. Removal of the off-site storm sewer to Gill Creek began in July 2000. Remedial action completion is expected August 2001.

Gratwick Riverside Park - Remedial construction began in June 1999. The action involves a cap over the site, a slurry wall barrier between site and river, collection of contaminated groundwater, and shoreline stabilization with enhancements for improved habitat value. Construction is proceeding on schedule and is presently approximately 95% complete. Completion is expected April 2001.

Iroquois Gas-Westwood Pharmaceutical - All remediation at the plant site is complete. Remediation of Scajaquada Creek sediments was completed in March 1999. One system to extract NAPL from beneath the creek bed is complete and operational, and completion of the second and final NAPL extraction system is scheduled for December 2000.

Other significant milestones in the past year include:

Vanadium - An interim remedial measure to cover portions of the site and control storm water runoff was completed by one of the potentially responsible parties in 1998. Construction of an interim remedial measure by another site PRP, to cap the landfill on their portion of the site, began in May 2000 and is expected to be completed by November 2000.

Buffalo Color Corporation - The Corrective Measures Study was approved in July 2000. Remedy selection is expected in November 2000 and Corrective Measures Implementation start-up is expected in July 2001.

DuPont Necco Park - The installation of additional groundwater wells began in September 2000 as part of the remedial design. The wells will serve as component parts of the hydraulic containment portion of the final remedy. The following are among the measures included in the final remedy: Upgrading the existing cap; containment of the overburden and bedrock source areas; treatment of extracted groundwater; collection and off-site disposal of DNAPL; comprehensive monitoring and additional site characterization. Construction of the final remedy is expected to begin November 2001, and remedial action completion is expected by October 2003.

Estimates of the cost of remediation are available for most of the 26 priority hazardous waste sites. Based on these estimates, the costs incurred to date are at least $ 370,100,000. Additional costs expected in the future are estimated at $ 261,100,000.

INTRODUCTION  

Since 1987, the Niagara River has been the focus of attention for four environmental agencies in the U.S. and Canada, called "The Four Parties". The Four Parties signed a Niagara River Declaration of Intent, pledging cooperation to achieve significant reductions of toxic chemical pollutants in the Niagara River. The Declaration of Intent and a work plan form the Niagara River Toxics Management Plan (NRTMP).

Under the NRTMP, the Four Parties identified 18 persistent toxic chemicals as "priority toxics". Actions to reduce the inputs of these priority toxics to the Niagara River have been aimed at point sources and non-point sources. 

Significant point sources on both sides of the River have been identified and are being addressed in U.S. and Canadian point source plans. The Four Parties summarize progress in controlling point sources in an annual report, last issued in June 2000 (Niagara River Secretariat, 2000).

Non-point sources of toxic chemicals to the River (e.g., leachate from hazardous waste sites, storm water runoff, atmospheric deposition) are more difficult to quantify and control. Given the limited information available about non-point sources, the U.S. has proceeded with its actions based on the assumption that hazardous waste sites are the most significant non-point sources of toxic chemicals to the River.

In 1988, an EPA study estimated potential toxic pollutant loadings to the River from U.S. hazardous waste sites (Gradient Corp/Geotrans Inc 1988). All known U.S. waste sites in the Niagara River area were considered. To help EPA/DEC focus actions on the sites that have the most significant potential for polluting the River, the report produced a list of 70 most-significant U.S. sites. The agencies treated the 70 sites as 33 site clusters, largely based on the manner in which data have historically been collected. Figure 1 shows the locations of these 33 clusters, and several additional hazardous waste sites.

The study showed that an estimated 694 lbs (315 kg)/day of toxic chemicals have the potential of migrating from the sites to the Niagara River. Because collection of site-specific transport data is ongoing, estimates were made based on certain assumptions -- for instance, that groundwater flow is horizontal, and that pollutants behave in a conservative manner. These assumptions yielded conservative estimates (i.e., estimates of toxic loadings that are expected to be higher than the actual loadings).

Figure 1   Location of Significant Niagara River Hazardous Waste Sites

______________________________

Occidental 102nd Street site (#40), Olin 102nd Street site (#56), Griffon Park (#85), and Niagara River Belden site (#94)

EPA and DEC issued a report in November 1989 prioritizing the 33 site clusters in order of their potential for polluting the River (EPA/DEC 1989). Table 1 presents the 33 site clusters divided into three categories, based on Gradient/Geotrans estimates of their potential toxic loads to the Niagara River:

Category I: Sites with greater than 50 lb/day loads
Category II: Sites with 1 to 50 lb/day loads
Category III: Sites with less than 1 lb/day loads

Sites from Category I and II collectively represented 99.9% of the total estimated loadings.

In keeping with the strategy to reduce inputs from the sites with the potential for contributing the largest amounts of pollutants to the River, the EPA/DEC report presented ambitious remediation schedules for the Category I and II sites. The report's best estimates indicated that the potential inputs of all toxic chemicals from these sites to the River would be reduced by 99% by 1996, if remediation schedules were met. However, the 1989 schedules were estimates based on limited knowledge of site conditions and average negotiation periods with Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs). Delays in the schedules have occurred, because of lengthy legal proceedings with PRPs or complex site conditions that were unanticipated. Thus, many of the sites have exceeded their original 1996 targeted completion date. In each progress update, EPA and DEC explain the circumstances surrounding the slippages in the site-specific reports in the Appendix.

Since 1989, EPA and DEC have also reevaluated the hazardous waste sites to identify those that new information shows are significant sources of toxic chemicals to Niagara River. Two sites have been removed as insignificant sources of toxics, and four sites have been added as significant sources. This October 2000 update reports on remediation progress at the resulting 26 significant hazardous waste sites.

EPA estimates that a reduction of approximately 90% in potential toxic chemical inputs from all sites to the River has been achieved by the site remediations to date. The estimate is based on the percentage of remedial actions in place at some of the 23 sites with completed or on-going remedial actions (Table 2). A 100% reduction was assumed for 13 of the sites with all remedial actions in place. For one site, an estimate is available indicating that up to 1.5% of the toxic chemical load from the site may be continuing after remediation. This was included in the overall load reduction estimate. A percentage reduction was estimated for two other sites with partial implementation of remedial actions. Since estimates could not be made for most of the sites with on-going remediation, actual reductions to date may be greater than the estimated 90%. Remedial systems are functioning at 7 of the 9 sites where remediation is underway, and these systems are expected to have already reduced the off-site loadings. For example, groundwater pump-and-treat systems are operational at several sites, thus reducing potential loadings to the river. Table 2 identifies the sites where remediation is not yet completed, but which have operational remedial systems that are expected to have reduced contaminant loads to the river.

Completion of final remedial actions are expected at several additional sites through 2001. Based on the expected implementation of these remedial actions, EPA’s best estimates are that, by the end of 2001, the estimated toxic chemical inputs from all sites will be reduced by almost 95% from the 1989 inputs. Current schedules call for all sites to be remediated by 2003.

Work to estimate the potential loadings of the NRTMP priority chemicals to the Niagara River from the priority waste sites has recently been done. The estimates are based on information that was not available at the time the Gradient/Geotrans estimates were developed, such as information on chemical concentrations in groundwater and groundwater flow. For example, a report by several site PRPs addressing groundwater loadings for ten of the NRTMP priority waste sites estimates loadings of 5.6 lbs/day (2.5 kg/day) of priority chemicals from the ten sites to the river prior to remedial actions at the sites, and 0.0048 lbs/day (0.002 kg/day) after completion of the remedial actions (CRA 1998), a reduction of over 99%. Since these estimates only consider the NRTMP priority chemicals, they are not comparable to the Gradient/Geotrans estimates of total toxic chemical loading. Also, some assumptions were used in the study that would tend to result in lower load estimates (i.e. non-conservative assumptions). Therefore, the actual loadings are probably greater than the estimates. However, the estimates corroborate the reduction in toxic chemical loadings to the river achieved through remedial programs.

In addition to remediation efforts at the waste sites themselves, it is also important to recognize the role of the Niagara Falls Waste Water Treatment Plant in reducing toxic inputs from a number of waste sites to the River. Based on information available in 1987, the U.S. identified the Falls Street Tunnel as the largest source of toxic pollutants from any of its point sources. The Tunnel was once a major unlined industrial sewer cut into the bedrock under the City of Niagara Falls. By the mid-1980s, it only received overflows of wastewater from the sewers of a Niagara Falls industrial area and contaminated groundwater from major waste sites infiltrating through cracks in the bedrock. Unlike flows from other point sources, flows from the Falls Street Tunnel entered the Niagara River untreated. In 1993, EPA and DEC required the City of Niagara Falls to treat the contaminated water flowing in the Falls Street Tunnel during dry weather at the Niagara Falls treatment plant. The data gathered by the U.S. show that this action has reduced, through wastewater treatment, the input from the Falls Street Tunnel into the River of mercury by 70%, tetrachloroethylene by 85% and four other priority toxic chemicals by almost 100%, relative to the 1980s inputs.

Since the Falls Street Tunnel captures portions of the upper Lockport bedrock groundwater flow from seven hazardous waste sites, the actions taken to control discharge from the Tunnel reduce the inputs from the following sites to the River:

For this report, reductions in toxic chemical inputs to the River due to the treatment of Falls Street Tunnel flow are not included in the estimate of the reduction in toxic inputs.

SUMMARY OF REMEDIATION PROGRESS 

Overview of Remediation Status
Table 2 and Figure 2 give overviews of remediation status at the 26 waste sites. In summary:

• All remediation is in place at 14 of the sites. The remedial technology installed at the 14 sites will be operated and monitored for effectiveness for years to come.
• Remedial actions are underway at 9 sites.
  • 4 of these are interim remedies, including 3 sites under interim remediation while final remedies are being investigated or designed, and one site where an interim remedial action was completed and PRP search efforts are underway.
  • Construction of the final remedy is underway at 5 sites.
• Remedial actions are under design or investigation at 6 sites (including 3 of the sites under interim remediation).

Remedial systems are functioning at 7 of the 9 sites where remediation is underway, and these systems are expected to have already reduced the off-site loadings.

Highlights of Recent Actions
For each site, a detailed description of progress is presented in the Appendix. The highlights of progress made, with emphasis on accomplishments since the last progress report in October 1999, are summarized below.

Occidental Chemical -- Buffalo Ave

• New York State issued a draft permit in September 1999 that included comprehensive, site-wide, Final Corrective Measures for the facility, and for the off-site area affected by the site. The draft permit proposed to incorporate the Interim Corrective Measures currently in place as part of the Final Corrective Measures for the site. After a public comment period, the final permit became effective February 10, 2000.
• Final completion of the groundwater stabilization programs in December 1998 effectively eliminates future off-site contaminant loadings.

Niagara County Refuse Disposal

• Remedial construction began in November 1998. The remedy includes a perimeter clay barrier wall, leachate collection with off-site treatment and disposal, removal of field tile drains to the west of the landfill, a final landfill cap, and other actions.
• Installation of the leachate collection system and its tie-in to the City of North Tonawanda sanitary sewer has been completed. The leachate collection has been operational since the summer of 1999, thus eliminating any potential pathway for leachate to migrate off-site.

• Construction of the landfill cap was completed in June 2000.
• The Remedial Action was completed (final inspection conducted) in September 2000.

DuPont Necco Park

• Remedial design is underway, including the installation of additional groundwater wells, which began in September 2000. The wells will serve as component parts of the hydraulic containment portion of the final remedy.

• Construction of the Final Remedy is expected to begin November 2001. The following are among the measures included in the Final Remedy:

  • Upgrading the existing cap;

  • Containment of the overburden source area using hydraulic measures or a physical barrier;

  • Containment of the bedrock source area using hydraulic measures;

  • Treatment of the extracted groundwater on-site or off-site;

  • Collection and off-site disposal of DNAPL;

  • Comprehensive monitoring and additional site characterization.

• Remedial Action completion is expected by October 2003. The completion date will allow sufficient time to address any complications that may arise in achieving effective hydraulic containment in the fractured bedrock beneath the site, and to allow the remedial systems to be tested and optimized.

Occidental Chemical -- Hyde Park

• Though the RA is not completed, the remedial systems are already containing most of the contaminated groundwater on site, thus greatly reducing the potential contaminant loading to the Niagara River. All of the overburden groundwater is being contained. In the three bedrock groundwater zones, at least 80% of contaminated groundwater is being contained. Remedial work to achieve full containment is continuing.

• Phase III of the bedrock groundwater extraction system was installed (pumping and monitoring wells, and force mains connecting the wells to the on-site treatment plant) in 1997. However, complex site conditions and difficulties in pumping NAPL resulted in the need to install additional wells. Three pumping wells and associated monitoring wells and force mains were installed in 1998. Three additional pumping wells and associated monitoring wells and force mains were installed in 1999; one additional pumping well and five monitoring wells were installed in 2000.

• OCC still did not achieve all required inward hydraulic gradients when the additional wells were installed. OCC is currently producing a groundwater model to better understand the groundwater flow in the vicinity of the site. The output of the model will be utilized to place additional wells more effectively or to determine if other remedial measures should be taken at the site. Completion of all remedial systems is expected by September 2001, and remedial action completion is expected by December 2001.

• Sampling of fenced groundwater seeps in the Niagara River Gorge Face was conducted in 1997, 1998 and 1999. Results continue to indicate no need for additional control or remediation of the seep areas.

Bell Aerospace Textron

• CMI start-up was in 1995. The on-site system has been enhanced by the installation and operation of an additional groundwater extraction well in 1998, including the use of a higher capacity pump in August 1999. These enhancements have produced a consistent capture zone, and the system is now achieving its design goals.

Occidental Chemical, S-Area

• The drain collection system and cap for the old Drinking Water Treatment Plant property were completed in 1999.

• Operation of the drain collection system for the landfill portion of the site began in 1996. However, a portion of the system was improperly installed and did not function as designed. The system was replaced in 1999-2000. This has delayed completion of the Remedial Action.

• Construction of the final landfill cap began in August 2000.

• Securement of the raw water intake structure from the old DWTP began in August 2000.

• Completion of the Remedial Action is expected in 2001.

Solvent Chemical

• Construction began in early 1998, but was delayed by lack of access agreements with adjacent property owners.

• Construction has now resumed. Installation of the extraction system in the off-site hot spot has been completed. Removal of the off-site storm sewer to Gill Creek began in July 2000.

• Remedial Action completion is expected August 2001.

Vanadium Corporation

• In November 1998, one of the site PRPs (SKW Alloys) completed an Interim Remedial Measure to cover portions of their parcel and control site storm water runoff.

• Construction of an Interim Remedial Measure by another PRP (Airco), to cap the landfill on their portion of the site, began in May 2000 and is expected to be complete by November 2000.

• Negotiations with the PRPs have not resulted in an Order on Consent requiring that a site-wide RI/FS be undertaken. NYSDEC will open negotiations with Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation and the New York Power Authority to address their portion of the site.

Buffalo Color

• The Corrective Measures Study Report was approved in July 2000. Remedy selection is expected in November 2000 and Corrective Measures Implementation start-up is expected in July 2001.

Bethlehem Steel Corporation

• BSC has completed the field work for the site investigation, and is preparing RFI and human health risk assessment reports. These have been delayed due to negotiations over the scope and the need to collect additional data. Submittal of these reports is anticipated by April 2001.

• BSC completed limited remedial technology studies for two areas that appear to be the primary sources of groundwater contamination at the facility (the Acid Tar Pits and Coke Oven Areas). EPA and DEC found the studies to be technically flawed and of limited value.

• BSC has submitted a Pre_design Investigation Report for the remediation of the Benzol Plant Area (i.e., Coke Oven Area). However, a dispute over waste characterization has delayed implementation.

• Any future CMS or CMI activities will require a new order, permit or other agreement.

River Road (INS Equipment) and Niagara Mohawk - Cherry Farm

• All remedial work is complete.

• The remedial action includes fish and wildlife habitat enhancements through the construction of shoreline wetland embayments along the Niagara River.

• Recent diver inspection of the dredged areas shows good revegetation and recolonization by fish.

Frontier Chemical, Royal Avenue

• The company that owned the facility went bankrupt in 1992, and failed to implement a DEC Order for waste removal. The site was referred to Federal Superfund for a Response Action including the removal of thousands of drums, removal of wastes from 45 tanks on the site, and other actions. The action was completed in 1995.

• EPA ruled not to include the site on the National Priorities List.

• DEC initiated PRP search efforts in 1998. The efforts are to be followed by negotiations of an RI/FS Order to address soil and groundwater contamination.

• DEC finalized the list of PRPs and issued notice letters to the PRPs in December 1999.

Gratwick Riverside Park

• Remedial Design (RD) started in early 1996. The design includes shoreline protection, hydraulic (slurry wall) barrier between site and river, a cap over the site to allow it to be used as a park, and collection of contaminated groundwater.

• During design, some site-related contamination was found in river sediments. It was also determined that steps should be taken to improve the habitat value of the shoreline area.

• Design changes to address these issues were addressed as a ROD amendment issued in January 1999.

• Remedial construction started in June 1999. Construction is proceeding on schedule and is currently approximately 90% complete. Completion is expected in April 2001.

Mobil Oil

• Following site investigations in the 1980s, DEC re-classified a 3-acre area of concern on the site as Class 3 (does not present significant threat to public health or the environment; action may be deferred).

• In 1994, the entire Mobil facility was selected for DEC’s Multi-Media Pollution Prevention (M2P2) program.

• A multi-media inspection was conducted, leading to the signing of a Consent Order in May 1997, to undertake further site investigation and remediation. The results of the site investigation were submitted in November 1998.

• Three areas of the site were identified as requiring additional investigation to determine the extent of contamination. The results of this site facility investigation were submitted in December 1999.

• Further investigation is underway in two areas. Results are to be submitted by November 2000. Further investigation will be required in one area.

• Remedial systems are operating at the Mobil Oil facility. A well point system was installed in the early 1970s to prevent petroleum seepage to the Buffalo River. In 1993, six dual-pump recovery wells were activated to recover petroleum product and groundwater. Five of the six recovery wells are presently being operated in conjunction with the well point system.

Iroquois Gas-Westwood Pharmaceutical

• All remedial construction at the plant site was completed September 1997, including sheet piling barrier wall, groundwater extraction wells, groundwater and NAPL treatment, and a clay cap.

• Remediation of Scajaquada Creek sediments commenced in July 1998 and was completed in March 1999.

• Extraction of NAPL from beneath the creek bed has begun at the downstream portion of the site. Negotiations to purchase property to locate the second extraction system, at the upstream portion of the site, are underway. Completion of the extraction system is scheduled for December 2000.

Booth Oil

• A PRP proposal for an alternate remedy was accepted in June 1998. Negotiations on a legal agreement for performance of the Remedial Design/Remedial Action are continuing.

• The Remedial Design is expected to be complete by April 2001.

Estimated Remediation Costs 

Where available, estimated remediation costs incurred to date and expected in the future are provided in each site description (Appendix). Federal, State, and Potentially Responsible Party (PRP) contributions were estimated, where possible. Remediation costs were unavailable for Federal/State RCRA sites, because reporting cost information is not a requirement of the RCRA corrective action program, and facilities have generally been reluctant to provide it. The remediation costs that are provided are estimates that may change as remediation progress is made at each site. The estimates will be updated as new information becomes available.

Based on available estimates for 19 sites, following is the total amount incurred to date (costs for the remaining 7 sites are unavailable):

Based on available estimates for 17 sites, the total additional costs expected in the future are as follows (costs for the remaining 9 sites are unavailable):

The estimated costs to date cannot be compared to the estimated costs expected in the future, because different sites are included in the estimates. It is also difficult to compare the relative contributions of federal, state, and PRP expenditures, because cost information for some sites was incomplete (e.g., some sites may have been able to provide federal or state costs but not PRP costs, and so on). However, the cost information does provide a sense of the magnitude of U.S. expenditures for hazardous waste site remediation in the Niagara River basin.

GLOSSARY 

A
Ambient
A surrounding medium, such as water or air. Used in contrast to a specific source.

Aquatic
Growing in, living in, or dependent upon water.

Atmospheric deposition
Pollution from the atmosphere associated with dry deposition in the form of dust, wet deposition in the form of rain and snow, or as a result of vapor exchanges.

B
Barrier wall
A wall constructed underground in a hazardous waste site or landfill to stop the flow of contaminated groundwater.

Basin
The land that drains into a waterbody.

Bedrock groundwater
Water flowing through a rock layer underground, under a top layer of mixed soil and loose rock called the overburden.

Benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P]
A PAH that is formed by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, wood, and tobacco; the incineration of garbage; and in steel production.

Bioaccumulation
The process by which chemical substances accumulate in the tissues of an organism that drinks contaminated water or eats contaminated food.

C
Cap
A cover over hazardous waste sites, usually made of clean soils or clay, that prevents rainwater from seeping through soil and causing the contaminants in the soil to flow into the groundwater.

Capture Zone
Area in which groundwater is flowing towards a pumping well; used as remediation technique for hazardous waste sites, to "capture" contaminated groundwater and treat it.

Chlordane
A persistent toxic chemical that was used to control ants, grasshoppers, and other insects on certain crops.

Collection drain
System of pipes around a hazardous waste site or landfill that collects surface or groundwater and directs it toward a treatment plant.

Combined sewer overflow (CSO)
Water discharged into a waterbody from a sewer system that carries both sewage and storm water runoff. Normally, all of the sewer system’s flow goes to a treatment plant, but during a heavy storm, there may be so much storm water as to cause overflows. When this happens, mixtures of storm water and sewage may flow into a waterbody untreated.

Consent decree
A legal document, approved by a judge, which puts into effect a remedy (i.e., actions to correct an environmental problem).

Contaminant
A substance that is not naturally present in the environment or is present in amounts that can adversely affect the environment.

D
DDT
Dichloro-diphynyl-trichloroethane. A persistent toxic chemical that was used as a pesticide, particularly for mosquito control. DDT is banned in U.S. and Canada. DDE and DDD are metabolites of DDT.

Dieldrin
A persistent toxic chemical that was used mainly as a soil insecticide.

Dioxins/furans
Dioxin: A family of persistent toxic chemicals known as dibenzo-p-dioxins. Dioxins can enter the environment as the by-products of industrial processes or as a result of combustion processes in incinerators and motor vehicles using leaded fuel. The compound called "2,3,7,8-TCDD" is the most toxic member of the dioxin family.

Furan: A class of chemicals similar to dioxins, which are created at high temperatures, such as incineration of PCBs and other organic wastes containing chlorine.

DNAPL(Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid)
An oily, sludge-like mixture of chemicals that is denser than water. DNAPL flows with gravity or along geological formations, not always in the same direction as groundwater.

Downstream
In the direction with the flow of a stream or river; down river. For Niagara River, downstream is towards Niagara-on-the-Lake and Lake Ontario.

Dredging
Removal of sediment from the bottom of a waterbody.

E
Embayment
A bay. A part of a waterbody (such as a river or lake) that makes an indentation into the adjacent land.

F
Force main
A pipe that carries contaminated groundwater drawn out of hazardous waste sites by pumping wells to a treatment plant.

Four Parties
The four agencies who implement the Niagara River Toxics Management Plan: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Environment Canada, New York State Department of Environmental Protection, and Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy.

G
Groundwater
The fresh or saline waters found beneath the Earth’s surface that often supply wells and springs. Contrast to "Surface water".

H
Habitat
Place where a particular type of plant or animal lives. An organism’s habitat must provide all of the basic requirements for its life.

Hazardous waste
Any substance that is a by-product of society and is classified under U.S. or Canadian law as potentially harmful to human health or the environment. Hazardous wastes are subject to special handling, shipping, storage, and disposal requirements under the law.

Hazardous waste site
Land disposal site for hazardous wastes.

Heavy metals
Metallic elements with high atomic weights that tend to be toxic and bioaccumulate. Examples are mercury, arsenic, lead, etc.

Hexachlorobenzene (HCB)
A persistent toxic chemical that was originally manufactured as a fungicide for cereal crops. It is also generated as a by-product in the manufacture of pesticides and can be formed during the combustion of substances containing chlorine.

I
Infiltration
Passing through or filtering through, as in rain water that filters through soil to join groundwater.

Inorganic substance
A chemical compound that does not contain carbon. Inorganic substances are often derived from minerals.

Insecticide
A chemical used to kill or control the growth of insects.

L
Landfill
Land disposal site for hazardous (or non-hazardous) wastes.

Leachate
Liquid derived from rain or snow melt that percolates through a hazardous waste site.

Load or Loading
The amount of a material entering a system over a given time interval.

M
Medium (plural: Media)
A surrounding substance in the environment: water, air, or sediment.

Metabolite
A substance that is the product of biological changes to a chemical.

Mirex
A persistent toxic substance that was used as an insecticide and a fire retardant.

Multi-media
Involving multiple media, such as water and air, or air and sediment, or all three.

N
National Priorities List (NPL)
An EPA list of the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned U.S. hazardous waste sites identified for long-term remedial action under Superfund.

Non-point source
Pollution entering the environment over a widespread area, where the sources cannot be traced to a single, identifiable point. Contrast to "Point source".

O
Octachlorostyrene (OCS)
A persistent toxic chemical that was released as a by-product when chlorine was manufactured using certain processes that are no longer used.

Organic substance
A chemical compound that contains carbon.

Overburden groundwater
Water flowing through a layer of mixed soil and loose rock that lies over the rock layer called bedrock.

P
PAHs
Polycyclic or polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. A class of persistent toxic compounds that are formed from the combustion of organic material, such as forest fires or gasoline in cars.

PCBs
Polychlorinated biphenyls. A group of persistent toxic chemicals used in electrical and hydraulic equipment for insulating or lubricating purposes.

Persistent toxic chemical
Any toxic chemical that is difficult to destroy or that breaks down slowly in the environment (i.e., with a half-life in water greater than eight weeks).

Pesticide
A chemical used for preventing, destroying, or repelling any pest.

Point source
Source of pollution that is distinct and identifiable, such as a pipe from a sewage treatment plant.

Pollution prevention
Any action that reduces or eliminates pollutants before they are created.

Potentially Responsible Party (PRP)
Any individual or company potentially responsible for, or contributing to, the contamination problems at U.S. hazardous waste sites.

Pretreatment
Processes used to reduce, eliminate, or alter pollutants from industrial sources before they are discharged into publicly-owned sewage treatment systems.

Priority toxic chemicals
Under the NRTMP, 18 toxic chemicals that exceeded water quality or fish tissue standards in the Niagara River or Lake Ontario.

R
RCRA
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. A U.S. program to remediate active hazardous waste sites. Sites are remediated by potentially responsible parties whenever this can be arranged.

Record of Decision (ROD)
A public document that explains what actions will be taken to remediate a U.S. hazardous waste site.

Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS)
The RI defines the areal and vertical extent of the hazardous waste problem at a Superfund site through numerous sampling wells, an extended environmental sampling program and a full geophysical survey. Based on the RI, the FS develops and evaluates alternative solutions to the problem.

Requisite Remedial Technology (RRT)
An RRT is the equivalent of an FS (see RI/FS above) for a pre-CERCLA agreement.

Runoff
Water that flows over the land surface into a waterbody.

S
Slurry wall
Barrier made of a thin, watery mixture of fine, insoluble material (clay, cement, soil, etc...).

Solid Waste Management Units (SWMUs)
Areas within a hazardous waste site where hazardous materials are stored or managed. SWMUs are generally storage areas, treatment systems, disposal areas, spill areas, or containment cells.

Superfund
A U.S. program to remediate inactive or abandoned hazardous waste sites in an emergency or for the long-term. Sites are remediated by potentially responsible parties whenever this can be arranged.

Surface water
All water open to the atmosphere (e.g., rivers, lakes, reservoirs, seas, etc.).Contrast to "Groundwater".

T
Toxaphene
A persistent toxic chemical that was used as an insecticide.

Toxic substance
Any substance that adversely affects the health or well-being of a living organism. OR
A substance that can cause death, disease, birth defects, behavioral abnormalities, cancer, genetic mutations, physiological/reproductive malfunctions, or physical deformities in any organism.

U
Upstream
In the direction against the flow of a stream or river; upriver. For Niagara River, upstream is towards Fort Erie and Lake Erie.

V
Volatile substance
A substance that evaporates readily.

W
Wetland
An area that is saturated with water or has a water level at or near the surface. A wetland has organic soils and plant/animal species that are adapted to a wet environment. 

REFERENCES

CRA. 1998. Estimates of Pre-Remedial and Post-Remedial Action Chemical Loading via Groundwater to the Niagara River. Conestoga-Rovers & Associates, January 1998. Ref. No. 9855(1).

Gradient Corp./Geotrans Inc. 1988. Potential Contaminant Loadings to the Niagara River from U.S. Hazardous Waste Sites.

Niagara River Secretariat. 2000. Niagara River Toxics Management Plan: Progress Report and Work Plan, June 2000.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (EPA/DEC). 1989. Reduction of Toxics Loadings to the Niagara River from Hazardous Waste Sites in the United States. 

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