Byron Barrel & Drum sits on roughly 2 acres of an 8-acre rural property in Byron Township, Genesee County, New York. The site was once a salvage yard for heavy construction equipment. In 1982, about 200 drums of chemical waste, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs, a class of toxic industrial chemicals), were found abandoned there without containment. Many drums had been crushed and buried, and others were dumped in a ravine. The site was added to the National Priorities List (NPL), the federal roster of priority Superfund sites, in 1986.
EPA has identified 43 contaminants of concern spread across groundwater, soil, surface water, and soil gas. These include chlorinated solvents such as trichloroethene and tetrachloroethene, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like benzene and toluene, heavy metals including lead and chromium, and phthalates such as bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate. Residential wells within 1 mile have not shown site-related contaminants.
Emergency removal actions starting in 1984 pulled about 400 drums and 64 tons of contaminated soil and debris from the property. EPA selected a formal cleanup plan in 1989 focused on pumping out contaminated groundwater, treating it through air stripping and activated carbon filtration, then reinjecting it to flush remaining contaminants from soil. Soil cleanup wrapped up in 2002. A treatability study from 2007 to 2009 tested bioremediation as an additional tool, though injected vegetable oil caused interference. Water samples from 2012 and 2013 found some contaminant levels just above cleanup thresholds. EPA has been planning a pilot study using carbon substrate injections to address remaining contamination. The cleanup approach has been refined twice through formal amendments, most recently in 2015, when a remedy component was removed and legal land-use restrictions were put in place.
The most recent five-year review, completed March 17, 2022, found the remedy protects human health and the environment in the short term. Long-term protection requires continued active management. Human exposure is currently under control, and groundwater contamination is stabilized in its original area. The site reached "sitewide ready for anticipated reuse" status on September 23, 2019, meaning cleanup goals for current and expected future land uses have been met. The site has not yet been deleted from the NPL. The next five-year review is expected between March and May 2027.
Community members can review site documents at Byron Town Hall on Townline Road, the Gillam Grant Library at 6966 West Bergan Road in Bergan, or the EPA Region 2 Superfund Records Center at 290 Broadway, 18th Floor in New York City. Questions can be directed to the two EPA staff assigned to the site.
