York Oil Company ran a waste oil recycling operation on a 17-acre property in Moira, Franklin County, New York from 1962 to 1975. The company collected crankcase and industrial oils, some containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), from across New England and New York. Those oils were stored in lagoons and sold as fuel oil or spread on unpaved roads for dust control. When lagoons overflowed during heavy rains and spring thaws, contaminated water spread onto nearby land and into adjacent wetlands. A state road crew found the contamination in 1979, and EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in September 1983.
EPA identified 40 contaminants of concern across soil, groundwater, and surface water. Soil contaminants include benzene, PCBs, trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, chloroform, and xylene mixed isomers, among others. Groundwater carries benzene, trichloroethene, PCBs, lead, cadmium, antimony, and other chemicals. Surface water contains barium, copper, iron, manganese, mercury, and zinc. The site is divided into two main operable units: the Site Proper (Operable Unit 01) and Contamination Pathways (Operable Unit 02).
EPA began emergency work in 1980, securing the site and removing contaminated oil, water, and soil from the lagoons and neighboring wetlands. The full cleanup plan, finalized in 1988 for the Site Proper and 1998 for the Contamination Pathways, called for excavating roughly 22,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil and 8,000 cubic yards of sediments, treating and capping them on-site, and installing groundwater drawdown wells. Construction on the Site Proper finished in October 1995, and overall construction across the entire site was completed on September 24, 2002. Long-term response actions for the Site Proper ended in September 2012, shifting the focus to operation and maintenance.
EPA has determined that human exposure is under control and that contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. The site achieved sitewide readiness for anticipated reuse on December 20, 2019, meaning all cleanup goals for current and reasonably anticipated future land uses have been met. The most recent five-year review, completed on December 19, 2024, is the sixth such review conducted at the site. EPA continues groundwater monitoring to confirm contamination stays within the original area.
Community members can review site records at the Moira Town Hall on North Lawrence Road in Moira, NY, or at EPA's Superfund Records Center at 290 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY 10007. Questions can be directed to the EPA staff assigned to the site.
