SCHENECTADY City commended for cleanup of Foster Ave. site DEC acknowledges outstanding efforts cooperative spirit BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
After ripping down buildings and hauling away soil, Schenectady has finally cleaned up a site that has been contaminated for nearly a century. The Department of Environmental Conservation recently sent the city a letter officially closing the cleanup on Foster Avenue — but also praising the city for its “outstanding efforts” to deal with seven leaking fuel tanks buried under the foundations of buildings that created a massive spill. “They had been leaking for 80 years,” Commissioner of General Services Carl Olsen said. “But it was underneath buildings we were using.” The city replaced the tanks 15 years ago and dug up the ones that could be reached. The rest were left to wait until someone was willing to demolish the site to get to them. That fi nally began two years ago, when the city built new offi ces on the former United Plating toxic waste site across the street. Then, workers took down the old city buildings and dug up the contaminated soil. It cost $5.5 million, took more than a year and a half and resulted in the removal of 43,000 tons of dirt. .......................>>>>......................>>>>......................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00903&AppName=1
Logged
