~--·,·~ .-· ·C=lRNUS •" L_0 CORPORATION •• C)A Halliburton Company
COMMUNITY RELATIONS PLAN
GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION CENTRAL FOUNDRY DIVISION SITE I ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY, NEW YORK EPt::~-:~~IG~MENT NUMBER 12-2VA6.0 CONTRACT NUMBER. 68-01-6699
NUS PROJECJ" NUMBER 0718.49
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R-31-7-4-3
August 7, 1984
Project No. 0718.49
Ms. Lillian Johnson U. S. Environmental Protection Agency Region II 26 Federal Plaza New York, New York 10278
Subject: Submittal of Community Relations Plan for General Motors Corporation Central Foundry Division Site
Dear Ms. Johnson:
Enclosed are four (4) copies of the final Community Relations Plan (CRP) for General Motors. Corporation, Central Foundry Division Site in St. Lawrence County, New York. These plans are revised from the draft copies sent to you on July 23 and incorporate the changes which you and other EPA staff requested.
If you would like additional copies, please contact me.
Very truly yours,
. ~~~!/J.~~~' 'j.,:.-{. ~7 . '-- -- - ~ . ~ T'.... / Gllbert J. Me/er, Jr. (/ Community Relations Manager
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Enclosure
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C)A Halliburton Company '•
Park West Two Cliff Mine Road r-mNus Pittsburgh, PA 15275 LO CORPORATION 412-788-1080 • R-31-7-4-3
COMMUNITY RELATIONS PLAN
GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION CENTRAL FOUNDRY DIVISION SITE ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY, NEW YORK
EPA WORK ASSIGNMENT NUMBER 12-2VA6.0 CONTRACT NUMBER 68-01-6699
NUS PROJECT NUMBER 0718.49
AUGUST 1984
SUBMITTED FOR NUS BY: APPROVED:
/----:::~ .. /J / ~tr --1-·1/F/ . 0 '--- __ ::~·~C...... ,r if . / .... tj ~ 0 GILBERT J. MEYER,.~ °' • MANAGER, COMMUNITY RELATIONS
C%)A Halliburton Company CONTENTS
• SECTION PAGE 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1-1
2.0 BACKGROUND AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS HISTORY 2-1 2.1 SITE HISTORY 2_.1 2.2 COMMUNITY RELATIONS HISTORY 2-2
3.0 ISSUES AND CONCERNS 3-1
4.0 COMMUNITY RELATIONS OBJECTIVES 4-1
5.0 COMMUNITY RELATIONS TECHNIQUES 5-1
6.0 SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES 6-1 6.1 REMEDIAL INVESTIGATION 6-1 6.2 FEASIBILITY STUDY 6-1
7.0 BUDGET AND STAFFING PLAN 7-1
8.0 LIST OF INTERESTED PARTIES 8-1
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0 0 °' I-' l11 ....i • ii l11 1.0 INTRODUCTION
• The General Motors Corporation (GM) Central Foundry Division Site is located along the St. Lawrence River at Massena, St. Lawrence County, New York (see map). The division operates an aluminum casting plant that produces automotive parts. Its property is bordered by the St. Lawrence River on the north and by the Raquette River on the south. On the west is the Massena-Cornwall International Bridge and Roadway; the St. Regis (Akwesasne Mohawk) Indian Reservation is on the east. The eastern boundary is also the border between St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties. Crossing east to west at the southern end of the property is U. S. Route 37. This site is of interest because various studies undertaken by numerous regulatory agencies since the · 1970's have shown measurable contamination levels in both groundwater and surface water as well as in fish that inhabit the nearby waters.
This Community Relations Plan (CRP) for the GM Central Foundry Division Site discusses the concerns of the public and the involvement of the public with the site. The plan also outlines objectives and recommends techniques for implementing an effective community relations program. Estimates are included for the scheduling and budgeting of activities. Also included is a list of parties who may be interested in the site.
Information used in developing this plan was obtained from several sources including two reports by General Motors consultant, Dames & Moore. · These reports, dated January 1982, evaluated closure plan alternatives and site geohydrologic data for inactive sludge deposits for each of two areas, the east area and the north area, at the GM Central Foundry Division Site. Information was also obtained from the NUS Corporation (Draft) Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study Work Plan and from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region II Office. Additional details were obtained from telephone conversations with the St. Regis Mohawk Health Services and with the Akwesasne .Museum in Hogansburg, New York. The following New York newspapers also provided information: the 0 0 °'
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Because local residents perceive the site owner as uncooperative, there is the potential for confrontation; therefore, this document should be reviewed periodically during site activities and revised as necessary.
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0 0 °' ...... l11 -..J 1-3 CD 2.0 BACKGROUND AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS HISTORY
·- 2. 1 Site History
The General Motors Corporation (GM) Central Foundry Division plant, in operation since 1959, die-casts molten aluminum into various automotive parts. The plant. which was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) in August of 1983, occupies a 270-acre site in Massena, St. Lawrence County, New York. The northern and eastern portions of the property constitute the areas of particular concern. Located in this section are a 10-million-gallon lagoon, an obsolete wastewater pumphouse, a 1.5-million-gallon lagoon, two buried dredging pits, a backfilled interceptor lagoon, a backfilled sludge disposal ditch, an excavated area where sludge was deposited, and an approximately 8-acre industrial landfill rising nearly 30 feet above the existing ground surface. Approximately 3 acres of the landfill are still active. Aerial photographs of the site suggest that dumping may have occurred on other portions of the property, but conclusive information is not available at this time. Use of the property prior to its occupation by the present owner has not been determined .
• From the 1959 opening of the plant until 197 4, the foundry used. hydraulic fluids with a polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) base in the die-casting process. It is the disposal of these PCB-contaminated materials and other process waste by-products that is now of concern.
Water used by GM Central Foundry Division in the manufacturing process is drawn from and returned to the St. Lawrence River. Public surface water intakes from this river are located downstream of the site and include the St. Regis Mohawk public water supply and the St. Regis Village, Quebec, public water supply.
Surface water runoff north of Route 37 flows into the St. Lawrence, while runoff south of the highway flows into the Raquette River. Studies by regulatory agencies in Canada and the United States, done since the 1970's, have shown measurable .o levels of PCBs in both of these bodies of water. "Hot spots," areas with high PCB 0 O'I concentrations, have been recorded in the St. Lawrence River. Measurable levels
2-1 of PCBs have also been found in an. unnamed groundwater-fed tributary to the St. Lawrence River. This stream is located on the St. Regis Indian Reservation and • flows north along the eastern boundary of the site. Lands adjoining the GM Central Foundry Division Site are predominantly forest and farm lands, with scattered low-density residental areas. Approximately 1600 feet to the east of the site is a residential area located on the St. Regis Indian Reservation. To the west 1600 feet, another residential area stretches along the St. Lawrence River shore. A second St. Regis Indian community is located on Cornwall Island, Ontario, Canada, and is approximately 350 feet north of the site, across the St. Lawrence River.
Areas along the shores of the St. Lawrence River and the mouth of the Raquette River are used for fishing, and undeveloped land areas are used for hunting and trapping.
2.2 Community Relations History
The GM Central Foundry Division Site is located in a community composed almost • entirely of Akwesasne Mohawk Indians who live on the St. Regis Indian Reservation. This reservation is located east, northeast, and north· of the site in the counties of St. Law.rence and Franklin in New York State and in the Canadian counties of Stormont and Glengary in Ontario and Huntington in Quebec. Reservation property lies on both sides of the St. Lawrence River and on 39 islands in the· river. The location of the reservation to the north, northeast, and east of
the site is important because the groundwat~r flow is reported to be from the site to the northeast. For this reason, it is the Akwesasne Mohawks who are most concerned about and most affected by activities at the GM Central Foundry Division Site.
Concern for the health of their environment is very keen among the Akwesasne Mohawk people, whose lifestyle relies heavily on farming, fishing, hunting, and
trapping. They became aware in the early 1970's that their environment was being 0 0 polluted when tests conducted by the Canadian Government revealed measurable ,_.°'
The relationship between the Indian community and the owners of the GM Central Foundry Division Site is one of distrust. This circumstance can be traced to December 1981, when the site was first singled out as a source of pollution. At that time, local newspapers quoted New York State officials as saying that studies had revealed PCB contamination at the GM Central Foundry Division Site and that the contamination was possibly migrating onto the St. Regis Indian Reservation. The Indian community was outraged that neither foundry officials nor the State ( contacted them concerning this problem. As a direct result of this failure to inform area residents, the Indians installed groundwater monitoring wells between their homes and the GM Central Foundry Division Site. The installation of these wells was overseen by New York State, and the State continues to analyze water samples from the wells. Sampling of private drinking water wells on the reservation has resulted in the abandonment of one family's private well and the • relocation of an elementary school on the reservation.
The interest of the Akwesasne Mohawk community in the GM Central Foundry Division Site is active and ongoing. Results of a ·major health study by Mt. Sinai Hospital funded by the Canadian Government are due to be released soon. This study focused broadly on plant and animal health with particular emphasis on human ·health and its relationship to existing levels of contamination. The study sought to establish contamination levels of fluoride, mirex, PCB, and mercury. The fact that there are also studies in the planning stage demonstrates the continued interest of the Akwesasne Mohawk community in the health of their environment and shows the determination of ·the community to know the facts and find solutions.
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' ...... (..11 CX> 2-3 ...... The St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council has requested that the EPA and the New York • State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) allow them to participate in any investigation of the GM Central Foundry Division Site .
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0 0 °' ...... l11 CX> • 2-4 N 3.0 ISSUES AND CONCERNS
• The major concerns of the Akwesasne Mohawk community are environmental and human health, particularly, the health of its children. The community is especially concerned about the long-term effects of direct and indirect exposure to various organic, chlorinated organic, and heavy metal contaminants. These contaminants were discovered on the GM Central Foundry Division Site. The identification of offsite migration routes for chemicals that are waterborne and/or airborne are important because such transmissions potentially provide direct routes of exposure to contaminants. Additional contamination may occur through the food chain, and for this reason, there is also a concern for the ability of the Mohawk Indians to continue to rely on their traditional lifestyle of fishing, hunting, trapping, and farming.
Citizens have demonstrated their high level of interest in possible health problems by initiating a number of studies, one of which is a medical survey of residents on the St. Regis Indian Reservation. This survey, due to be released in the summer of 1984, conducted by ·Mt. Sinai Hospital and funded by the Canadian Government, focused on environmental exposure to contaminants, measurements of accumulated • contaminants in the body, and the identification of adverse health effects. Another study, currently in the planning stage, will focus on the quality of mothers' milk.
The lack of communication and the apparent hostility between the site owner and local residents are major concerns. The community has been extremely active in its pursuit of information related to this site. The people have expressed a lack of confidence in the available data and in the conclusions drawn from such data, and have undertaken independent studies. Residents have also requested that they be included in site activities and be informed of all findings.
Another issue that should be addressed is the large number of Akwesasne Mohawks in the St. Regis area who do not speak English. Because of this language barrier, it 0 is suggested that information from government agencies b~ transmitted through 0 °' • 3-1 local Indian officials with the understanding that these officials will communicate the information to the residents. Another option is to produce bilingual • communications.
There is every reason to believe that interest in the GM Central Foundry Division Site will remain high; therefore, care should be taken to ensure that the comn:iunity is kept well-informed of all related site activities .
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0 0 °' 3-2 4.0 COMMUNITY RELATIONS OBJECTIVES • The following objectives are recommended to effectively implement this Community Relations Plan. These objectives will attempt to establish and maintain a rapport among government agencies, the community, and the site owner.
• To establish and maintain effective communications between local residents and government agencies regarding ongoing site activities.
• To supply the media with accurate and timely information concerning onsite progress and activities.
• To give the community an opportunity to comment on remedial action alternatives.
• To determine whether there is a need for bilingual communications . •
0 0 °' ..... U1 4-1 co • U1 5.0 COMMUNITY RELATIONS TECHNIQUES
The following community relations techniques are recommended in order to • "J. ' achieve the plan objectives. These techniques should· be reviewed and revised as necessary to reflect changing community concerns and technical progress at the site.
Objective Technique
To establish and maintain effective Establish an information repository communications between local residents at the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal and government agencies regarding on Office. going site activities. Determine whether there is a need for bilingual communications.
Issue a press release on the location of the information repository .
• Conduct briefings for tribal officials to keep them apprised of onsite activities and the status and results of those activities.
Provide fact sheets describing site activities to the local government and to the tribal council as needed.
To supply the media with accurate and Issue press releases as needed. timely information concerning onsite progress and activities.
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5-1 Objective Technique
To give the community an opportunity Issue a press release citing alterna to comment on remedial action tives being considered for the site, alternatives. and announce a comment period of at least 3 weeks.
Hold a public meeting to announce a public comment period of at least 3 weeks.
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I , ..... U1 5-2 (X) • ....J 6.0 SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES
6.1 Remedial Investigation
During the Remedial Investigation, technical information is gathered and air,
surface water, groundwater, ~nd geophysical investigations are carried out. This information provides the data to select the most appropriate remedial action necessary. The following community relations activities should correspond with technical progress at the site:
• Establish an information repository.
• Issue a press release on the location of the information repository.
• Conduct briefings for local officials.
• Provide fact sheets as needed on site activities.
1.- • Issue press releases as needed.
6.2 Feasibility Study
In the Feasibility Study, data compiled from the Remedial Investigation are used to select the most appropriate remedial actions. The following community relations activities will be performed at that time:
• Issue press releases as necessary.
• Issue a press release citing alternatives being considered for the site, announce a public comment period of at least 3 weeks, and hold a public meeting.
• Prepare and distribute a responsiveness summary. 0 0 O'I
I • 6-1 7.0 BUDGET AND STAFFING PLAN
The following list contains the community relations activities that will be carried out at the GM Central Foundry Division Site. The figures below reflect only the initial community relations activities described in this plan.
Activity Work Hours
Brief Public Officials (3) 48 Establish Information Repository 10 Issue Press Releases (6) 24 Issue Fact Sheets (6) 48 Monitor Technical Work 190 ( 10 hrs/month/19 months) Hold Community Meetings (3) 64 *Prepare a Responsiveness Summary 56 Provide Telephone Contact ---1§. (4 hrs/month/19 months)
Total 516
*The Responsiveness Summary will be prepared by the Contractor with assistance from the Project Manager and. the Indian Liaison Officer.
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7-1 8.0 LIST OF INTERESTED PARTIES ' " • United States Officials
Federal
Senator Daniel P. Moynihan 464 Senate Russell Office Building Constitution Avenue Washington, D. C. 20510 (202) 224-4451
Home Office 22 Watkins Avenue Oneonta, New York 13820 (607) 443-2310
Senator Alfonse D'Amato 520 Senate Hart Office Building Second Street and Constitution Avenue Washington, D. C. 1OS10 (202) 224-6542
Home Office Room 1259 Federal Building 100 South Clinton Street Syracuse, New York 13260 (315) 423-5471
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8-1 Congressman David O'Brien Martin ~-, 26th District Room 109 Cannonhouse Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 (202) 225-4611
Home Office Federal Building Plattsburgh, New York 12901 (518) 563-1406
Melvin Hauptman, Project Officer U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 26 Federal Plaza New York, New York 10278 (212) 264-7681
.•l, Charles Tenerella, Indian Liaison Officer U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of External Programs 26 Federal Plaza New York, New York 10278 (212) 264-9382
Senator Ronald Stafford Room 502 Capitol Building Albany, New York 12248 0 0 (518) 455-2829 (J\
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Home Office 162 Margaret Street • Plattsburgh, New York 12901 Assemblyman John O'Neill Room 532 Legislative Office Building Albany, New York 12248 (518) 455-5797
Home Office Box 120 Potsdam, New York 13676
Local
Jacob Swamp, Chief Traditional Council Cook Road • Hogansburg, New York 13655 Leonard V. Garrow, Chief Laurence Pyke, Chief Allen Terrance, Chief St. Regis Tribal Council, Community Building St. Regis Indian Reservation Hogansburg, New York 13655 (518) 358-2272
G') :s: Jim Ransom, Health Technician :s: St. Regis Mohawk Health Services 0 Community Building ' °'0 St. Regis Indian Reservation ...... (J1 Hogansburg, New York 13655 \0 , (518) 358-2272 "' .I 8-3 -- Ronald LaFrance, Chairperson Mohawks Agree on Safe Health (MASH) \.• Raquette Point Road Roosevelt New York 13683
St. Lawrence County Environmental Management Council (EMC) Courthouse Canton, New York 13617 (315) 386-2292
Canadian Officials
The Honorable Charles Caccia Environment Canada Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A OH3 (613) 997-2800
Ministry of the Environment 135 St. Clair Ave. West Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4V 1PS (416) 965-1658
Ministry of the Environment 2360 chemin Ste-Foy Ste-Foy, Quebec, Canada G1V 4H2 (418) 643-6071
Henry Lickers, Director St. Regis Band Council P.O. Box 579
Cornwall, Ontario, Canada K6H 5T3 0 0 (613) 933-7402 °'
8-4 Mike Mitchell, Chief " .; St. Regis Band Council P.O. Box 579 Cornwall, Ontario, Canada K6H 5T3 (514) 575-2222
Media
Newsapers
Massena Observer P.O. Box 300 Massena, New York 13662 (315) 769-2451
Ogdensburg Journal - Advance News P.O. Box 409 Ogdensburg, New York 13699 (315) 393-1000
' Watertown Daily Times 260 Washington Street Watertown, New York 13601 (315) 782-1000
Akwesasne Notes/Indian Times General Delivery Roosevelt Town, New York 13683
Radio
CJSS Box 969 fj ~ Cornwall, Ontario, Canada K6H 5V1 •O (613) 932-5180 /o I / °' .) 8-5 ,_, U7 ~ ~ WMSA Box 210 <~·--·· I Massena, New York 13662 (315) 769-3594
WYBG 162 E. Orvis St. Massena, New York 13662 (3, 5) 764-0554
CKON c/o Lloyd Benedict Rural Route 3 Cornwall Island Ontario, Canada K6H 5R7 (6, 3) 938-8047 t
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