Neighbors who live near two former U.S. Army Nike sites in Aurora and Orchard Park have concerns about possible PCB environmental contaminants.

Source: http://www.wgrz.com, August 25, 2016
By: Kelly Dudzik

Neighbors who live near two former U.S. Army Nike sites in Aurora and Orchard Park have concerns about possible environmental contaminants. Thursday night, a representative from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers met with them.

There is an old launch area and an old control area. Both were used by the U.S. Army in the late 50s and early 60s.

Both sites are now privately owned, and the Army Corps of Engineers is looking through documents to see how the land has been used since the Army left it to see if there are any contaminants.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers representative said Thursday that they are going to test one of the sites for possible PCBs this year. He says they want to make sure any existing Army liabilities of an environmental nature are addressed.

One neighbor shared video with us of a sewer line spewing out water near her home, which she built in 2005. She lives 13-hundred feet from the control site on Transit Road in Orchard Park and is very worried that the water could be contaminated.

“I have two children. My daughter is here this evening, and as the neighbors had said, it’s not just my children, they have children. The roadway is giving away. There’s a sinkhole forming underneath where the pipe crosses the road. So not only is my family at risk now, the general public is that travels on this road,” says Laura Piccillo.

“What we’re going to do is make sure that anything that we may have had at the site is not something that might be flowing down in through those manholes,” says Gregory Goepfert with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Piccillo is suing the control site’s current owner, Health Research Inc., a public benefit corporation of the State of New York. She wants her driveways fixed and says the water coming from the sewer has damaged them.

A formal report on the environmental investigation is expected to be released this fall. There will also be another community meeting at that time. A citizen advisory group is being formed. Many of the people there Thursday night plan to join it.

=========================

FACT SHEET – Niagara Falls – Buffalo Defense Nike Battery, Nike BU 34/35 (Launch & Control Areas)

Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS)

DESCRIPTION: The Niagara Falls - Buffalo Defense Nike Battery BU 34-35 consisted of a launch and a control area. From December 1955 to April 1956, the subject site was acquired by the United States for defense purposes by direct purchase.  Both the launch and control areas are in Erie County, New York; specifically the launch area is located on Willardshire Road, in the Town of Aurora,  New York and the control area is located off of Transit Road, in Orchard Park, New York. The properties related to this FUDS are located in Congressional District NY-26.

After acquisition by the United States, a surface-to-air missile launch and other ancillary buildings were constructed by the U.S. Army between December 1955 and January 1957.  The type of missile stored was the Nike Ajax Missile.  This installation was never subject to other-than Department of Defense (DoD) use and control during the period of DoD interest.    

The launch area is currently owned by a limited liability corporation (LLC). The only facility utilized (post-DoD) was the enlisted men's barracks and bachelor officers' quarters building. This building was converted into apartments.
The control area is currently owned by the Health Research, Inc., a public benefit Corporation of the State of New York.  Former Nike facilities that were rehabilitated for use were the mess hall, the garage, the administration building, the enlisted men's barracks and bachelor officers' quarters, two stand-by generator plants, two fire unit integration facility rooms (radar control buildings), and the water pump building. These facilities were used in the past for cancer research.  

AUTHORIZATION: The Nike BU 34/35 properties are being investigated under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program for Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS). The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 authorized that program.

PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS: Limited environmental investigations and studies were drafted by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)  for the launch area in 1996, however, the reports were not finalized, and no remedial actions were taken.

The control area was not studied directly by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), since Nike control  sites typically do not present environmental issues related to DoD use of these parcels, as hazardous materials were not stored or used by DoD in control areas.  Studies, assessments and site clean ups conducted by the current site owner were undertaken at the control area.  USACE will not be conducting any field investigations at the control area.

STATUS/SCHEDULE (AS OF AUGUST 2016):

USACE will review all previous studies, investigations and reports regarding the former launch and control sites, and perform remedial investigations (e.g., sampling and analysis of groundwater, soils, silo water), as necessary, to determine the need for any further action at these sites.

• Remedial Investigation work plan has been finalized.
• Remedial Investigation field work was conducted at the launch area in April 2016.
• Remedial Investigation report will be issued in spring 2017.
• Any future remedial actions will be undertaken, subject to availability of funds, and an assessment of alternatives based upon results of the remedial investigation.  Date: to be determined.

PROJECT COST:

Estimated Federal Cost:  $1,500,000 (Remedial Investigation)