Jul. 16—GRANVILLE — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is continuing to investigate a spill of firefighting foam from the Saint-Gobain facility in Granville.
A power outage caused an equipment malfunction, which DEC said caused about 400 gallons of foam concentrate used for firefighting to spill at the Saint-Gobain Tape Solutions facility July 5.
The material contains chemicals polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Rain and on-site conditions caused foam to enter a drainage area which left the Saint-Gobain facility and spilled into the Indian River.
" Saint-Gobain promptly contacted DEC to notify the agency of the release," the DEC reported in a July 12 update of the situation. " Saint-Gobain also engaged the help of Maviro, an environmental services company, and promptly initiated response actions to contain and mitigate the release."
A number of steps have been taken in the investigation thus far. The DEC reported Friday that the land and surface of the water between the plant property and the Indian River has been surveyed and inspected, and they have begun excavation of soil on the plant property where the foam traveled. Sorbent booms have been placed in surface water sources in the area to help contain and absorb the foam, and there is an ongoing investigation to better understand how the fire suppression system was engaged.
The Washington County Department of Public Safety said in an announcement Wednesday that the DEC and the State Department of Health are working with the facility owner to assess potential impacts from the spill on local drinking water supplies and recreational waterbodies.
"Much of the impacted area along the drainage ditch is served by the Village of Granville public drinking water system, which was not affected by this spill," said State Department of Health's Center for Environmental Health Bureau of Environmental Exposure Investigation Director Christine Vooris in a statement. "Residents who receive their drinking water from the public water system do not need to have their water tested, as public water supplies are monitored for contamination prior to distribution. Granville residents who use private wells along the affected area will be identified and contacted to discuss testing to determine if the spill has affected their well."
The DOH recommended Wednesday that out of an abundance of caution, people avoid fishing and recreation in the section of the Indian River north (downstream) of the Route 149 bridge to where it meets the Mettawee River (about 0.25 miles north of the Mettowee Street bridge). This includes the pool adjacent to the Mettowee Street bridge, Vooris said in a statement.
The Mettawee Village Park and swimming area was not affected by this spill, the state Department of Health reported Wednesday.
Saint-Gobain Tape Solutions Plant Manager Chris McGlynn reported that the maintenance and engineering team at Saint-Gobain responded to fire alarms caused by the local power outage. They found that the fire suppression system in a storage building had engaged as a result of the false fire alarms and had traveled out of the building and across the property and made its way into the Indian River.
" Saint-Gobain continues to work closely and coordinate the ongoing effort, including additional response actions, with the NYSDEC and New York State Department of Health," McGlynn reported in an announcement from the company shortly after the spill. " Saint-Gobain is committed to keeping the town of Granville informed and continuing to work with the appropriate state and local agencies, including the Granville Department of Public Works, to respond to this incident and conduct the needed remediation efforts."
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