Rosen Brothers Scrap Yard/Dump

Overview

The Rosen Brothers Scrap Yard/Dump is a 20-acre former scrap metal processing facility in Cortland, New York. It sits above the Cortland-Homer-Preble aquifer, which is the sole source water supply for the city. EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List in March 1989. Today, physical construction of the cleanup is complete, and the site has achieved sitewide ready for anticipated use status.

EPA identified more than 140 chemical substances at the site, found in both soil and groundwater. These include volatile organic compounds such as trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, and benzene, as well as heavy metals like lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury, plus polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other organic compounds. All contaminants fall under one cleanup plan called Operable Unit 01.

Cleanup started in 1987 when EPA excavated visibly contaminated soils and secured drums. By 1989, potentially responsible parties removed all surficial hazardous wastes and fenced the site. Work continued through the 1990s, including demolition of buildings and a 150-foot smokestack, emptying of an underground storage tank, and recycling of more than 500 tons of scrap metal. EPA selected a final remedy in March 1998. That remedy included capping the former cooling pond, placing a protective surface cover across the full 20 acres, and excavating four contaminated soil hotspots. Capping and cover work finished in 2003, and long-term groundwater monitoring continues.

EPA's most recent five-year review, completed in May 2023, confirmed that human exposure is under control and that contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. The next five-year review is estimated between May and July 2028. An explanation of significant differences for Operable Unit 01 is estimated between September and November 2026. The site has not yet been deleted from the National Priorities List.

The site has been redeveloped into a working intermodal rail-to-road transport facility through a partnership among EPA, the City of Cortland, the State of New York, and the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad. The redevelopment was completed in 2015. As of December 2024, one on-site business employed 5 people and generated an estimated $1,036,000 in annual sales revenue. Community members with questions can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator. Site documents are also available at the Cortland Free Library at 32 Church Street in Cortland, New York.