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Marathon Site

This site description provides a history of the Marathon Battery site in Cold Spring, NY, including information on the federal court actions and CERCLA cleanup efforts. It includes details on the contaminants of concern and the original wastewater treatment system.

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Marathon Site

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  1. Marathon Site Site Description Marathon Battery Cold Spring, NY CERCLA Cleanup Federal Court Actions ‘70s 1st Dredging Operation Project History Contaminants of Concern CERCLA Actions Total Cd Load to Marsh W. Fish, Portland State University

  2. Site Description • Instructions: • Delete sample document icon and replace with working document icons as follows: • Create document in Word. • Return to PowerPoint. • From Insert Menu, select Object… • Click “Create from File” • Locate File name in “File” box • Make sure “Display as Icon” is checked. • Click OK • Select icon • From Slide Show Menu, Select Action Settings. • Click “Object Action” and select “Edit” • Click OK • On the Hudson River in NY; Two components: • East FoundryCove Marsh (EFCM) • Constitution Marsh • Click for Synoptic Site Map • Click for Aerial Photo W. Fish, Portland State University

  3. History: US Army • Instructions: • Delete sample document icon and replace with working document icons as follows: • Create document in Word. • Return to PowerPoint. • From Insert Menu, select Object… • Click “Create from File” • Locate File name in “File” box • Make sure “Display as Icon” is checked. • Click OK • Select icon • From Slide Show Menu, Select Action Settings. • Click “Object Action” and select “Edit” • Click OK • 1952: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Constructed • 1953, under Contract with the Army Signal Corps, Sonotone Corporation operated plant to produce nickel-cadmium batteries for use in the Nike missile program • Run under Army ownership 1953-1962; declared “excess property” in 1962. W. Fish, Portland State University

  4. Private Owners • Instructions: • Delete sample document icon and replace with working document icons as follows: • Create document in Word. • Return to PowerPoint. • From Insert Menu, select Object… • Click “Create from File” • Locate File name in “File” box • Make sure “Display as Icon” is checked. • Click OK • Select icon • From Slide Show Menu, Select Action Settings. • Click “Object Action” and select “Edit” • Click OK • 1962: U.S. sold it to Sonotone Corporation. • 1967: Sonotone Corporation became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Clevite Corporation W. Fish, Portland State University

  5. Marathon • Instructions: • Delete sample document icon and replace with working document icons as follows: • Create document in Word. • Return to PowerPoint. • From Insert Menu, select Object… • Click “Create from File” • Locate File name in “File” box • Make sure “Display as Icon” is checked. • Click OK • Select icon • From Slide Show Menu, Select Action Settings. • Click “Object Action” and select “Edit” • Click OK • 1969, Clevite Corporation Merged with Gould, Inc. • 1969, Gould, Inc. sold the Plant to Business Fund, Inc.; later changed its name to Marathon Battery Company (MBC) • MBC operated the plant until March 1979. W. Fish, Portland State University

  6. After the Battery Era • Instructions: • Delete sample document icon and replace with working document icons as follows: • Create document in Word. • Return to PowerPoint. • From Insert Menu, select Object… • Click “Create from File” • Locate File name in “File” box • Make sure “Display as Icon” is checked. • Click OK • Select icon • From Slide Show Menu, Select Action Settings. • Click “Object Action” and select “Edit” • Click OK • Plant inactive from 3/79 until 11/80 • Battery manufacturing equipment removed and shipped to an MBC plant in Waco, Texas • Sold to the current owner, Merchandise Dynamics, incorporated, for use as a book storage facility W. Fish, Portland State University

  7. Contaminants of Concern • Instructions: • Delete sample document icon and replace with working document icons as follows: • Create document in Word. • Return to PowerPoint. • From Insert Menu, select Object… • Click “Create from File” • Locate File name in “File” box • Make sure “Display as Icon” is checked. • Click OK • Select icon • From Slide Show Menu, Select Action Settings. • Click “Object Action” and select “Edit” • Click OK • Cadmium: Cd • Toxic to humans, animals and plants • Carcinogenic • Waste stream had large amounts of Cd, mostly as Cd hydroxide; also caustic wastes W. Fish, Portland State University

  8. Original Wastewater Treatment System • Instructions: • Delete sample document icon and replace with working document icons as follows: • Create document in Word. • Return to PowerPoint. • From Insert Menu, select Object… • Click “Create from File” • Locate File name in “File” box • Make sure “Display as Icon” is checked. • Click OK • Select icon • From Slide Show Menu, Select Action Settings. • Click “Object Action” and select “Edit” • Click OK • A lift station and piping for transfer of all process wastewater into the Cold Spring sewer: Discharged directly into the Hudson River • Bypass Valve Was Installed • When the Lift Station Was Shut down or Overloaded, direct Gravity Discharge Could Be Made into a Storm Sewer W. Fish, Portland State University

  9. Discharges to EFCM • High dissolved solids and pH of the Effluent Resulted in Extreme Fouling Within the Pump and Piping • Pumps Required Shut down and Maintenance • Bypass Valve Was Opened and the Flow Diverted to EFCM: 2x per week W. Fish, Portland State University

  10. Cadmium Load: • Approximately 50,000 kg of Cadmium May Have Been Discharged to the Cove During the Life of the Plant

  11. New Sewage Plant • 1965: New York State Department of Health said Cold Spring must build seage treatment plant • Battery Plant effluent could not be handled, too toxic • Sonotone ordered to disconnect from sewer • Entire waste flow diverted to storm sewer

  12. Attempts at Treatment • Sonotone installed treatment equipment • precipitate Cd(OH)2 and neutralize discharge • Never really worked, Cd kept on flowing • NY found lots of Cd in marsh, river • Plant given Jan 1, 1970 deadline to comply with state discharge regulation

  13. 70 Civ. 4110 • Judgement of Federal Court • Suit brought under Federal Water Pollution Control Administration against Marathon • Enforcement then shifted to new EPA

  14. Relief Sought by US • Permanent injunction against further discharge of Cd and other metals into Foundry Cove • Demanded removal of Cd in sediments • Sept. 1971: Complaint amended, named Sonotone, Clevite and Gould as additional defendants

  15. Final Judgment • June 1972: Remove all sediment with Cd >900 ppm (mg/kg) • 1971: Discharge was stopped; routed back to sewer after treatment • 1972-1973: Hydraulic dredging by GOULD

  16. 1st Dredging Operation • Hydraulic dredging of “hot” areas • Spoils dewatered in parking lot inside a temporary dike • dewatering leaked all over the place • Effluent settle overnight, discharge to marsh • Solids mixed with limestone, scored in underground vault on site

  17. Areas Dredged • Outfall area • Channel leading to the marsh • About 9 hectares = 22 acres • About 4000 cu.m. stored in vault

  18. “Satisfaction” • April 24, 1974: US Attorney issues “satisfaction of judgment” • Site is off the hook…or isi it? • Agreement included monitoring by NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) • Studies by NYSDEC, EPA, NYU

  19. Whoops, There it Is • Studies showed much of area was still > 900 mg/kg • Channel area was recontaminated • Only about 10% of Cd had been removed

  20. CERCLA • 1980: CERCLA Passed • 1981: First NPL Prepared • Guess what was one of the first sites proposed for the interim NPL? • 1983 went on Final NPL • Also OSHA found high Cd dust inside book warehouse

  21. CERCLA Units • 1986 ROD: Three “operating Units” • Area I: EFCM & Constitution Marsh • Area II: Plant, grounds, vault • Area III: Cove itself and Hudson

  22. RI/FS Findings • ~8% of EFCM had >1000 mg/kg Cd • Dust up to 120,000 mg/kg in plant

  23. ROD Plan: 1986 • Dredge EFCM, dewater, haul offsite • Leave Constitution Marsh alone • Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA) • 2 other RODS issued ‘88, ‘89

  24. Final Consent Decrees • Marathon, Gould, USACOE are RPs • Total cost $109 million • Gould $57M • ACOE $43 M • Marathon $9M

  25. Dredging Began 1993 • Dredging removed 55,000 cu. Yd sediment to depth of 1 ft. • Assumed to get about 95% of Cd this way • Did not shoot for a specific target conc. • Dredging completed in 1994

  26. Marsh Cleanup • 1800’ dike, 6-7 ft high • 31,000 cu.yd soil excavated, treated, shipped of site • reconstructed the marsh

  27. DELISTING • Declared finished and delisted from NPL, October 1996

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