GE and Black & Decker offer to
replace portion of storm sewer pipe in Brockport

General Electric and Black & Decker (GE/B&D), former owners of the 200 State Street facility in Brockport, have offered to replace a substantial portion of the village's storm sewer pipe downstream of the facility, according to a press release issued by the company.

In November 2002, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) collected four samples of the tar coating inside some of the storm sewer pipe downstream of the facility and found PCBs in the material. With DEC's approval, GE/B&D began an investigation of the downstream line and other identified tar-coated storm sewer pipe in the village. With DEC's approval and oversight, and the village's cooperation, GE/B&D collected more than 80 samples from tar-coated storm sewers throughout the village, according to the press release.

GE/B&D have received some of the results of this sampling program; other results are outstanding. The data that has been received does not definitively define a source of the PCBs found in the tar coating. Nevertheless, based on the data received to date, GE/B&D have offered to move forward with the work.

In the next few weeks, GE/B&D's contractor will be meeting with property owners, including the village, to discuss the project and, with the property owners' permission, obtain information such as a visual inspection, photography and a formal survey of properties. This information is needed to complete the project design, which is already underway. GE/B&D then will submit to DEC the completed design, which must be approved by DEC before work can begin. The project will be conducted and funded by GE/B&D, with DEC oversight, the release stated.

Once approved by DEC and property owners, the project will build upon the off-site remedial work begun by GE/B&D last summer and continuing this year. Currently, GE/B&D are completing the excavation of PCB-containing soils from an undeveloped area north of the residential area where remedial work was undertaken last year. The cleanup of this area, known as Stream Segment 3, includes the removal of more than 6,000 tons of soil and sediment from along the tributary. GE/B&D are coordinating their work with 3M, which is removing additional soils and sediments containing silver and cyanide.

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