102nd Street Chemical Landfill
Encyclopedia
The 102nd Street Chemical Leachate Treatment Facility, formerly the 102nd Street Chemical Landfill, is a former chemical landfill
located on the Niagara River
in Niagara Falls, New York
. It is almost immediately adjacent to the infamous Love Canal Chemical Landfill
, which are split from each other by the LaSalle Expressway
and Frontier Avenue. Hooker Chemical, a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum
, and Olin Chemical, who were the original owners of the site, were ordered to clean up the site and pay $16,500,000 by the United States Environmental Protection Agency
. It is a designated Superfund
site, and is closed to the public.
At an unknown date, chemicals began seeping into the Niagara River. A concrete bulkhead
has been constructed on the shore to stop the seepage of chemicals into the river. The area is fenced off on all sides.
The larger portion owned by Hooker was operated from 1943 until 1971. In that time period, 23,500 tons of mixed organic and/or inorganic compounds, solvents and phosphates, and related chemicals were dumped here including brine sludge, fly ash, electrochemical cell parts and related equipment plus 300 tons of hexachlorocyclohexane
process cake, including lindane
.
The smaller portion owned by Olin Corp. operated from 1948 to 1970. 66,000 tons of compounds and elements and an additional 20,000 tons of mercury brine and brine sludge, 1,000+ tons of hazardous chemicals, 16 tons of concrete boiler ash, fly ash and other residual materials were deposited.
Currently, the chemicals are sealed off, contaminated soil being removed, and chemicals being removed. The area as of 2008, has been deemed reusable, but no developmental measures have been taken.
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
located on the Niagara River
Niagara River
The Niagara River flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the Province of Ontario in Canada and New York State in the United States. There are differing theories as to the origin of the name of the river...
in Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...
. It is almost immediately adjacent to the infamous Love Canal Chemical Landfill
Love Canal
Love Canal was a neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York, located in the white collar LaSalle section of the city. It officially covers 36 square blocks in the far southeastern corner of the city, along 99th Street and Read Avenue...
, which are split from each other by the LaSalle Expressway
LaSalle Expressway
The LaSalle Expressway is a long limited-access highway in Niagara County, New York, United States. It begins near the North Grand Island Bridge at an interchange with Interstate 190 in Niagara Falls and ends just south of the Niagara Falls International Airport at Williams Road in Wheatfield...
and Frontier Avenue. Hooker Chemical, a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum
Occidental Petroleum
Occidental Petroleum Corporation is a California-based oil and gas exploration and production company with operations in the United States, the Middle East, North Africa, and South America...
, and Olin Chemical, who were the original owners of the site, were ordered to clean up the site and pay $16,500,000 by the United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
. It is a designated Superfund
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
site, and is closed to the public.
Site description
The 102nd Street Landfill consists of two parcels, one owned by Olin Corporation and one owned by Hooker Chemical & Plastics Corporation at an area of 22.1 acres (89,435.6 m²) total. Unlike Love Canal, which it is directly south of, the facility is still owned by Hooker (Occidental) and Olin, who are in the process of cleaning it up. It is part of the original canal excavation from which the Love Canal landfill takes its name. It currently appears to be a large field, as the chemicals are sealed off and buried underneath the soil. Griffon Park lies directly west, and currently, little residential development lies on either side of the area. The area is monitored with air and ground monitoring devices to measure the toxicity of the site.At an unknown date, chemicals began seeping into the Niagara River. A concrete bulkhead
Bulkhead (partition)
A bulkhead is an upright wall within the hull of a ship or within the fuselage of an airplane. Other kinds of partition elements within a ship are decks and deckheads.-Etymology:...
has been constructed on the shore to stop the seepage of chemicals into the river. The area is fenced off on all sides.
History
The landfill takes its name from 102nd Street, a street that ran through the area before residents were evacuated and homes demolished.The larger portion owned by Hooker was operated from 1943 until 1971. In that time period, 23,500 tons of mixed organic and/or inorganic compounds, solvents and phosphates, and related chemicals were dumped here including brine sludge, fly ash, electrochemical cell parts and related equipment plus 300 tons of hexachlorocyclohexane
Hexachlorocyclohexane
Hexachlorocyclohexane or 666 is a six chlorine substituted cyclohexane, a polyhalogenated compound. It comes in many forms. Some are pesticides.Common forms are:* α-HCH , or α-BCH, alpha-Hexachlorocyclohexane...
process cake, including lindane
Lindane
Lindane, also known as gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane, , gammaxene, Gammallin and erroneously known as benzene hexachloride , is an organochlorine chemical variant of hexachlorocyclohexane that has been used both as an agricultural insecticide and as a pharmaceutical treatment for lice and...
.
The smaller portion owned by Olin Corp. operated from 1948 to 1970. 66,000 tons of compounds and elements and an additional 20,000 tons of mercury brine and brine sludge, 1,000+ tons of hazardous chemicals, 16 tons of concrete boiler ash, fly ash and other residual materials were deposited.
Currently, the chemicals are sealed off, contaminated soil being removed, and chemicals being removed. The area as of 2008, has been deemed reusable, but no developmental measures have been taken.