(The following story by Corydon Ireland appeared on the Democrat and Chronicle website on February 3.)
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The second and final cleanup phase following a 2001 chemical spill in Charlotte could begin as early as March and end by May.
Assuming they get regulatory approval, contractors for CSX Transportation will dredge a 1/3-acre patch of contaminated sediments in the Genesee River. They expect to extract 3,000 cubic yards from the river bottom.
The soil phase ended in 2002. CSX dug up an area the size of a football field and removed nearly 28,000 tons of dirt.
Company officials visited Rochester on Monday to brief city officials and affected neighbors.
The cleanup stems from a 47-car CSX train derailment Dec. 23, 2001, along River Street, just 100 feet from the Genesee River. The incident, blamed on a conductor who improperly set the brakes, toppled 23 cars and created an immense chemical fire. As much as 14,000 gallons of solvents ? unburned or unrecovered acetone and methylene chloride ? soaked into soil or poured into the river.
Methylene chloride, heavier than water, caused most of the contamination.
The dredging plan, still awaiting approval by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, would remove contaminated sediments from 13,100 square feet of the river bottom near the western bank.
The dredging, going down an average of 4 feet, will take place within two layers of plastic “silt curtain,” used to contain sediments roiling up from the dig.
The river just outside the dredging area will also be continuously monitored for escaping pollutants, said project manager Timothy P. Ahrens, an environmental scientist with Amec Earth & Environmental Inc. of Schenectady.
Since the spill, he said, technicians have sampled the water 15 times and river sediments eight times, including a December measurement.
Dredged sediment would be drained, then mixed with 10 percent concrete to dry it further. Depending on the degree of contamination, the soil will be shipped to one of three landfills: Mill Seat in Riga, for the least-contaminated sediment, or hazardous landfills near Sarnia, Ontario, or Niagara Falls.
DEC spokeswoman Linda Vera confirmed that the plan was in the hands of the agency. CSX officials said they had submitted it to the DEC in October. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, concerned about keeping the river open to boats, has already filed its comments.
The CSX dredging proposal also must be approved by the New York Department of State, which oversees state coastal zone issues. The DEC, with other interested parties, has until Thursday to submit comments.
CSX briefed city officials Monday afternoon. Spokesman Bob Sullivan, who accompanied several CSX technical and administrative experts, said both sides discussed the dredging plan, the city?s riverside development timetable and a plan for long-term monitoring of the site ? which might be ready in several weeks.
In the past, city officials ? who could not be reached for this story ? have expressed concern that the dredging would not get done or would be done without the right controls.
CSX faces lawsuits involving the spill, including three filed in December by affected businesses: Tapecon Inc., the Rochester Yacht Club and Pelican Marina and Waterfront Café.
“That?s the nature of the process,” said Sullivan, whose office is in Philadelphia. “We believe we offered very fair compensation to all the parties.” He said negotiations were continuing.
CSX met with the Charlotte Community Association on Monday evening, the first visit with the group since August.
Michele Labigan, president of the group, said, “I have nothing but great respect (for CSX) and a feeling that (the project) will get done and done in the right way.”