General Motors Site - Massena, New York - Super Fund Sites on Waymarking.com

The GM plant opened in 1959 and at the time hired 100 employees, it has had an up and down history of employment, at one time employing 1600 employees. Unfortunately with the GM bankruptcy, the fate of the plant was sealed and it closed down. However, this isn't where the story ends. A report from the ATSDR states:

"The General Motors Central Foundry Division (GM-CFD) is an aluminum casting facility that manufactures automobile parts such as cylinder heads. The facility was constructed in 1959 and has operated continuously. The plant currently manufactures aluminum and iron engine and transmission parts through the "lost foam" casting method. For a period from 1968 to 1973, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were used in the hydraulic fluids of the diecasting machines which molded the aluminum automobile parts. Sludges were generated from this PCB-contaminated hydraulic fluid during an oil reclamation operation at the facility. The PCBs detected at this facility and in nearby areas are a result of the use of PCBs in the past. The detection of PCBs in the St. Lawrence River during routine monitoring in the late 1970's led to the placement of the General Motors Landfill on the original New York State Hazardous Waste Site Registry as a suspect site.

On September 19, 1980, General Motors (GM) submitted a closure plan for the 1.5 million gallon lagoon that contained some of the PCB contaminated sludge. At a meeting between NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) staff and GM on April 2, 1981, this plan was discussed and supplementary information was requested from GM. A revised closure plan was submitted in January 1982, which was deemed unacceptable by NYS DEC. Efforts were initiated to develop a consent order which would require GM to assess contamination at and near the site. The ensuing investigations revealed contamination at the site and led to the placement of the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) in 1983."

There were many studies completed and many health concerns expressed from neighboring communities and the nearby Mohawk Reservation. There has been an extensive clean-up effort at the site and it's still continuing, but there are also many unsettled suits brought again GM that remain in litigation. The industry that brought so much prosperity and wealth to the North Country has definately left a "bitter taste" in the mouths of many.

There is so much to read and understand about this Superfund site that I've left a couple links to learn more.

#1: ATSDR - Public Health Assessment - (visit link)

#2: Reuse Framework Study - (visit link)

Cheers
CZ

ID: NYD091972554 Site Name: General Motors (Central Foundry Division) Link to Site: [Web Link] Additional Parking: Not Listed

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