Jones Chemicals, Inc.

Overview

Jones Chemicals, Inc. sits on 42 acres in Caledonia, New York and has operated as a chemical manufacturing and repackaging facility since 1939. The EPA added it to the Superfund National Priorities List in February 1990 after finding contamination from decades of industrial activity. Between 1960 and 1977, the site repackaged volatile organic compounds, and spills during those transfers contaminated both soil and groundwater. The EPA placed the site on the Superfund list to ensure a formal, long-term cleanup.

The contaminants of concern are trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethene (PCE), and 1,2-dichloroethene (a mix of cis and trans forms). All three have been found in both soil and groundwater across the entire site. Cleanup began with the removal of underground storage tanks in 1985 and aboveground tanks in 1990. The EPA selected a long-term remedy in September 2000, and construction wrapped up in September 2006. That remedy combines groundwater extraction and treatment, soil vapor extraction, chemical oxidation, monitored natural attenuation, hydraulic containment, and institutional controls. A pump-and-treat air stripper has processed more than 500 million gallons of contaminated groundwater, running around the clock at roughly 300 gallons per minute. An in-situ soil vapor extraction system added in 2018 has removed about 94 pounds of PCE and its breakdown products. In 2016, the EPA also added sub-slab depressurization to address vapor intrusion in buildings on site.

Human exposure is currently under control, and contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. The EPA's June 2021 five-year review found the remedy protective of human health and the environment in the short term. For long-term protection, residual soil contamination still needs to be addressed, and soil vapor intrusion monitoring in warehouse areas must continue. The site has not yet met all criteria for unrestricted use, though one business is currently operating on site and employs 18 people. Active remedial work is expected to continue through late 2027, with the next five-year review estimated between June and August 2026.

Community members who want to review site records can visit the EPA Superfund Records Center at 290 Broadway in New York City, the Village of Caledonia Clerk's Office, or the Village of Caledonia Library. The EPA Public Information Office in Buffalo also holds records for the site. Questions can be directed to the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager.