SMS Instruments, Inc. operated metal refurbishing and degreasing services at a light industrial property in Deer Park, New York starting in 1973. Industrial waste contaminated soil and groundwater through a leaching pool, a 6,000-gallon underground storage tank that held jet fuel until 1981, and leaking waste drums stored in the back lot. The site was identified as contaminated in 1983 and officially added to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in June 1986.
EPA identified 11 contaminants of concern in soil and groundwater at the site. These include 1,1-dichloroethane, dichlorobenzene compounds (1,2-, 1,3-, and 1,4-), chlorobenzene, chromium, ethylbenzene, lead, naphthalene, trans-1,2-dichloroethene, and xylene (mixed isomers). EPA flagged these chemicals because they posed unacceptable risks to human health or the environment based on the amounts present and their potential health effects.
Cleanup ran through the 1990s and into the 2000s. EPA removed liquids from the leaching pool starting in 1983. Soil vapor extraction pulled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from soil between April 1992 and November 1993. A groundwater treatment plant using air stripping operated from June 1994 to September 2005. An air sparging system, installed in May 2005, injected air directly into groundwater to remove remaining contaminants. A 1990 investigation confirmed that groundwater contamination did not spread beyond the site boundaries. The site is organized into two operable units (OUs): OU 01, the onsite area, was addressed using air stripping, treatment, and thermal desorption, while OU 02 required no further action.
EPA has determined that human exposure is under control, groundwater migration is stabilized, and there is no unacceptable discharge to surface water. All cleanup goals for current and reasonably anticipated future land uses have been met, and all required land-use controls are in place. Construction was completed in January 1996, and the site achieved sitewide ready for anticipated reuse status in July 2010. EPA removed the site from the NPL in September 2010. Light commercial and industrial uses have since resumed, and as of December 2024, three businesses operating at the site employed 19 people and generated about $4,093,000 in annual sales revenue.
Community members who want to learn more about site activities or Superfund cleanup efforts can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator. Site documents and administrative records are available at the EPA Superfund Records Center at 290 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY 10007, which can be reached at (212) 637-4308.
