Chevron Consultant to Talk Tappan Terminal at Planning Board Meeting

Arcadis, consultants for Chevron, has equipment on-site and is ready to start the latest phase of the clean up at Tappan Terminal on the Hastings-on-Hudson waterfront. 

"We're pleased they're on site and beginning the next phase," said Hastings-on-Hudson Village Manager Fran Frobel. "It will take about four weeks for installation and it could take several years for it [the groundwater to be fully remediated] to be complete. So, they got some work ahead of them." 

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation  (DEC) declared the Tappan Terminal, located on Railroad Avenue, as a Class 2 inactive hazardous waste New York Superfund site "that represents a significant threat to public health or the environment."

The soil and groundwater on the property became contaminated with chlorobenzene, benzene, diethyl ether and dye-related contaminants after years of industrial manufacturing and chemical use by various companies. Chevron is responsible for cleaning up the eastern portion of Tappan Terminal, while ExxonMobil will remediate the western portion.

The two oil companies will be responsible for the following work: 

• Installation of a groundwater treatment system, which will include construction of infiltration trenches and injection wells
• Placement of a two-foot soil cover over the site
• Air monitoring to protect workers and the community
• Groundwater monitoring to determine when the cleanup goals are achieved

So far, the following work has started or has been completed:

• Excavation and off-site disposal of 1700 cubic yards of contaminated soil
• Removal of dilapidated boats
• Pre-design groundwater treatment pilot study
• Soil cover designs for the properties are underway and anticipated to be installed in late 2012 or 2013

Click here for a history and more information on the property and remediation effort, and here for the latest update from the DEC on the clean up. 

Arcadis started mobilizing their equipment on their portion of the 15 acre-site Tuesday and will install a groundwater injection system, an experimental process, to speed up the bioremediation of the site's groundwater.

"You're accelerating the natural process to degrade the benzenes and mostly gasoline byproduct leftovers," said Hastings-on-Hudson Mayor Peter Swiderski, at Tuesday's village board meeting. "They apparently decay over time because of the bacterial agents in the soil, but placing the pumps and forcing (into the ground) what is essentially 'MiracleGro' and a low concentration of bleach which is high in oxygen, accelerates the process, bringing down to two or three years what would otherwise take eight or ten."

They will install a total of six wells: four are extraction wells and two are injection wells that will go about 20 feet deep into the ground. They will also remove 27 trees where the wells need to go, however all of the trees on that portion of the property will eventually have to be removed so the site can be cleaned up, Frobel said.

Contractors will be on site five days a week from 7 a.m. about 5 p.m. One air monitoring device will be installed at Riverside Park, while two will be located on site. The air monitors will keep track of toxin levels in the air as the project proceeds. If high levels of toxins are detected, the work will halt immediately and corrective measures will be taken. Water will be used to control dust on site, and according to Frobel, Aracdis has been working with the police department on controlling truck traffic.

As a part of their work, contractors have to bring a construction trailer on site and polls that will generate temporary power to the site. Arcadis will be at the Hastings-on-Hudson Planning Board meeting, which takes place at village hall at 8:15 p.m., to get approval for erecting the temporary structures, as well as offer the board and residents an update on the logistics of their work plans.

Click here for the planning board agenda.

"I'm hopeful the board will render a decision and not delay this further four or five weeks," said Frobel, at Tuesday night's village board meeting. "I'd hate to see it delayed."

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