SCHENECTADY – Work is expected to begin next month to clean up pollution left behind by an old gasworks in downtown Schenectady.
National Grid will spearhead the environmental remediation of the federally designated Superfund site west of Broadway near the railroad embankment, the state Department of Environmental Conservation announced Wednesday. , who oversees the project.
A predecessor to National Grid operated a gasworks at 375 Broadway from approximately 1851 to 1906. The footprint is now the location of a Schenectady Municipal Housing Authority parking lot.
Among the pollutants to be removed is coal tar, a substance generated during the gas manufacturing process. The material contains a number of chemical contaminants, primarily benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the state agency said.
Some of the compounds have been detected in subsoil and groundwater in the area of planned soil removal. The DEC said that due to the potential for coal tar odor, during cleanup odors will be monitored. Odor control foam will be used and the floor will be covered when not being handled.
National Grid will dig and haul around 7,000 cubic meters of contaminated soil, add fill and top it with a foot of clean soil, according to project materials.