Only in NT – NT Environmental Committee doesn’t tell us these things!
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation recently reclassified the Niagara Sanitation site as a Class 2 site, a “significant threat to the public health or environment—action required.” Although in the Town of Wheatfield, it’s at the NT border, silently affecting NT residents with its contaminants.
In early 2015, NT was recognized by the Department of State as a Brownfield Opportunity Area! The focus of recent administrations on downtown and Oliver Street has been on putting that brownfield designation to use with grant funding.
There is a website at www.homefacts.com/environmentalhazards/New-York/Niagara-County/North-Tonawanda.html which contains interesting cautionary information for people considering purchases of real estate in North Tonawanda. It doesn’t have accurate site names but residents will recognize the addresses given.
Polluters in NT are described as having been found using the Toxic Release Inventory Program. Per the site, “The goal of the Toxics Release Inventory Program is to provide communities with information about toxic chemical releases and waste management activities and to support informed decision making at all levels by industry, government, non-governmental organizations, and the public.”
Listed as polluters: Taylor Devices/90 Taylor Drive; Swagelok Biopharm Services Co./76 Industrial; Buffalo Pumps/874 Oliver (three listings!); Battenfeld Grease and Oil Corp./1174 Erie; An-Cor Industrial Plastics/100 Melody Lane (now using 900 Niagara Falls Blvd. for address); and Aglade Industries, LLC/765 River Road.
A brownfield site is “any land that has been contaminated by hazardous waste and identified by the Environmental Protection Agency as a candidate for cleanup because it poses a risk to human health and/or the environment. Real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.”
Brownfield sites listed in NT are: Competition Transmission/68 Main; Gateway Point 1/50 Dock Street; Gateway Point 2/18 Dock; Gateway Point 3/16 Dock; Gateway Point 4/82 River Road; Gateway Point 5/1 Sweeney; Gateway Point 6/78 River Road; Metzger Concrete Removal/235 River Road; Remington Rand Building/184 Sweeney; R. E. Krug Corp./190 Oliver; Triangle Area/400 Robinson; 110 Sweeney; 100 Sweeney; 34-38 Webster; 64-66 Webster; 78 Bridge; 986 Oliver; Arida 33/4 Bridge Street; Arida 4/2 Bridge; Arida Site 1/133 Michigan Avenue;Arida Site 2/231 Michigan; and NT’s Incinerator/748 Walck.
Superfunds are “any land contaminated by hazardous waste and identified by the EPA as a candidate for cleanup because it poses a risk to human health and/or the environment. “ On that list are: International Paper Tonawanda Mill/50 Bridge Street; Schreck’s Scrapyard/55 Schenck; Booth Oil site/76 Robinson; Holiday Park/Walck-Zimmerman-East Robinson; Gratwick Riverside Park; Roblin Steel-Buffalo Bolt site/101 East Avenue; City property/Walck & Old Falls Blvd.; Hooker Chemical & Plastics site/600-680 Walck; Buffalo Pumps/874 Oliver; National Grinding Wheel site/Walck Road; Koppers Co. site/940 River Road; Niagara Sanitation/Nash Road (Wheatfield/NT border); Wurlitzer Co. site/908 Niagara Falls Blvd.; and the Botanical Gardens/Old Falls Blvd.
Under “Tanks & Spills found in North Tonawanda” it has: Wardell Boat Yard/1 Sweeney; Flanigan Chevrolet/27 Main; CSX/147 Tremont; Placid Harbour Marina/17 Detroit; Hurtubise Tire/63 Oliver; City Water Dept./1 Archer Street; DeGraff Memorial Hospital/445 Tremont; Sukwinder Sign/139 Main; Metzger Removal/235 River Road; Spruce Elementary School/195 Spruce; Grant Elementary School/Grant Street; Smith Boys/278 River Road; R. E. Krug Corp./89 Thompson and NT Yard/Oliver and Thompson; Tondisco, Inc./80 Thompson; City Hall; NT Water Treatment Plant; 51 Robinson Street; Val-Kro Industrial Plating/369 River Road; and Lawless Container Corp./93 Robinson.
Environmental remediation generally just means they have capped over most of the mess because it is impossible to ever remove it all. There are others not on these lists, like the convenience store on Nash Road with buried but not removed gas tanks.
A “bar & eatery” is to open in the 64-66 Webster building using the address 62 Webster. NT’s Lumber City Development Corp. obtained serious grants and tax credits for the former Mayor who created LCDC during his tenure who is either renting space to Alderwoman Catherine Schwandt, or per recent “rumors,” may be holding a mortgage on the building for her. Has anyone seen signs of environmental remediation there? Eager to eat there? Or in the former Remington Rand building restaurant? Or to move into the apartments there?
What about that water provided by NT? Are we all being poisoned? If those spills were bad, how can we still have children in Spruce and Grant Schools? Was there any connection to its tanks and spills with a recent fire at Placid Harbor Marina? Would you live on Tonawanda Island or along the waterfront on River Road?
Remember Love Canal was “remediated” and the same problems are occurring again there. Waste from Love Canal is buried at the Nash Road site at the NT border and is a serious concern.
