When maintenance causes panic

(Editor’s note: Dan McKiernan, and Dan Telvock, both reported on groundwater well maintenance at Love Canal on Thursday. It looks ominous and suspicious. The Department of Environmental Conservation reports it was routine maintenance. It would be fascinating to know if the sludge pulled from the monitoring wells matches the chemical footprint of the McKiernan’s sump. Also: Docc Holiday, who is worth a follow on Facebook, posted this morning about the Witmer Road drive-in site as well as Industrial Estates. That entire area of the Town of Niagara is likely a dump site. It likely drains through the Chester/John neighborhood and into Niagara Falls. The DEC, EPA, Town of Niagara and Niagara Falls government will likely continue to minimize, hoping people will back down and forget. Now is the time to throw open the window, shake your fist at the clouds and say “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.” As Mark Scheer said last week, paraphrasing” “We need more Lois Gibbs. Be a Lois Gibbs.”)

By Dan Telvock

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) — Work at Love Canal is sparking curiosity among some residents near the fenced-in toxic landfill.

The Department of Environmental Conservation said consultants for Glenn Springs Holdings, a subsidiary of Occidental Chemical responsible for managing the landfill, are performing biannual maintenance.

For about a week, residents have contacted News 4 Investigates about the activity at the Love Canal site in Niagara Falls.

As of Thursday afternoon, at least six workers were on site, including two donning yellow hazmat suits with respirators. In addition, there was at least one vacuum truck, several blue drums, and a commercial-sized compressor.

The DEC said the vacuum truck is used to remove sediment that collects in underground pump chambers, which are part of an underground barrier drain system around the landfill that is designed to prevent contaminated groundwater or leachate from migrating off-site.

The DEC said the blue drums located near the pump chambers are filled with carbon to prevent toxic chemical vapors from escaping into the air.

News 4 Investigates and photojournalist Allison Staebell captured a rare, up-close view of the work by using a drone. The contractors placed a large square sheet of plastic on the ground while the vacuum truck was in operation. At least two squeegees were nearby.

The DEC said there was no excavation work underway at the site and that any waste generated is “properly disposed of off-site.”

“Routine maintenance of the pump chambers ensures the remedial collection system is functioning properly,” the DEC said in a statement.

“Love Canal is a Class 4 site under New York State guidelines, which means the site has been properly closed but requires continued site management consisting of operation, maintenance and/or monitoring,” the DEC said. “Information and data show that the containment system at Love Canal is functioning as designed and intended, and there is no evidence to suggest contaminants have escaped the containment system.”

Glenn Springs Holdings did not return a message seeking comment.