Penn Yan Marine Brownfield and Waterfront Redevelopment

Located along the Keuka Outlet on the north end of Keuka Lake, this 14-acre waterfront property was contaminated with heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and volatile organic compounds from years of powerboat manufacturing. An emergency removal action was conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency to remove drums and other chemical containers.

Yates County obtained the property through tax foreclosure and teamed with LaBella Associates to complete the remedial investigation through the NYSDEC’s Environmental Restoration Program. We developed an investigation scope and completed the environmental investigations, which included surface soil sampling, soil borings, groundwater monitoring well installations, soil and groundwater sampling, and contaminant plume modeling. NYSDEC approved the work and deemed the investigations complete.

Following this, our team assisted Yates County with entering the site into the NYSDEC Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP) in order to complete the required remediation. The BCP provided the means for the County to complete the work but also offered tax credits to attract perspective developers. LaBella completed all the remedial action work plans and remediation design for the property.

Remediation included a Self-Implementing Plan for the removal and disposal of 121 tons of hazardous waste PCB-impacted soils, 8,655 tons of nonhazardous waste soils, and 10,800 gallons of impacted groundwater. LaBella’s in-house Contracting team conducted all soil removal, community air monitoring, and surface water protection to ensure that the thorough cleanup did not affect the community or the waters of Keuka Lake.

LaBella’s Regulated Building Materials (RBM) team performed a pre-demolition assessment of RBMs in the manufacturing buildings. Additionally, we developed an abatement plan and managed the abatement of asbestos and other RBMs. We submitted all the required reports (Final Engineering Report, Site Management Plan, etc.) and the NYSDEC issued a Certificate-of-Completion (COC). By using LaBella’s remediation design plan, in-house environmental contractor, and RBM team, the cleanup was completed efficiently and on schedule.

Since obtaining the COC, LaBella has continued to provide annual monitoring and site management services at the site. Furthermore, Yates County and a developer leveraged the tax credits afforded by the Brownfield Cleanup Program to begin redeveloping this site for residential use.