Solvent Savers

Overview

Solvent Savers, Inc. ran a chemical waste recovery facility on a 13-acre property in Lincklaen, New York, from 1967 to 1974. The company distilled solvents, reconditioned drums, and buried industrial wastes on-site. That activity contaminated soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediment. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List in September 1983.

The contaminants of concern are all found in soil across the site. They include several chlorinated solvents: 1,1,1-trichloroethane, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, cis and trans 1,2-dichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, trichloroethene, and toluene and mixed xylene isomers. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are also present. Inorganic metals including arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, and lead have been identified as well.

Cleanup actions began in 1989 with the excavation of 127 drums. Long-term soil treatment used in-situ soil vapor extraction (ISVE), which removes chemical vapors from soil without digging it up. That approach cut VOC-contaminated soil from 135,000 cubic yards down to 6,500 cubic yards. Between 2012 and 2014, about 15,000 cubic yards of remaining contaminated soil were excavated and treated or disposed of on-site and off-site. The 2022 five-year review confirmed that completed soil cleanup protects human health and the environment.

Human exposure is currently under control, and contaminated groundwater migration has stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. However, physical construction is not yet complete for the entire site. Design planning for groundwater extraction and treatment is in progress, with aquifer testing expected to follow. Groundwater cleanup is targeted for completion by 2027, and the next five-year review is scheduled for that same year. A final remedial action is estimated to begin between September and November 2028.

Community members can review site documents in person at two locations: the EPA Superfund Records Center at 290 Broadway, 18th floor in New York City, or at Lincklaen Town Hall in DeRuyter, New York. For questions, contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager.