Crown Cleaners of Watertown, Inc. is a 9.8-acre former dry cleaning facility in Herrings, New York, listed on EPA's Superfund National Priorities List since September 2002. The site operated as a dry cleaner from the late 1970s until 1991. Wastewater from washing machines leaked through basement pits into soil and the nearby Black River, and spent filters left on the ground added to the contamination. When PCE, short for tetrachloroethylene or tetrachloroethene, turned up in the village's public water well in 1991, investigators confirmed the Crown Cleaners building as the source.
EPA has identified nine contaminants at the site. Tetrachloroethene is the most widespread, found in groundwater, soil, sediment, and building structures. Manganese and vanadium appear in both groundwater and soil. Benzo[a]pyrene was found in soil, and benzo[a]aceanthrylene was detected in building structures. A treatment system was installed for the village water well as an early protective measure.
Cleanup has moved through several phases. Early removal actions secured the site and cleared contaminated sludge, waste oil, debris, and asbestos-containing materials. A Record of Decision signed in March 2012 set the long-term plan: demolish remaining buildings, excavate contaminated soil and wetland sediment, and treat groundwater through chemical injections and monitored natural attenuation. Building demolition finished in 2015, soil excavation wrapped up by 2016 with additional work in 2018, and construction was formally completed in February 2017. Eight rounds of groundwater treatment injections have been completed as of 2024, with a ninth round tentatively planned for summer 2026. The land has been redesignated from commercial to recreational use, and a park is planned for the site. The Town of Wilna has received funds for construction, though a contract has not yet been executed.
Human exposure is currently under control, with no unacceptable exposure pathways identified. However, contaminated groundwater is still migrating and has not yet been stabilized. Cleanup is expected to continue through at least September or November 2028, with long-term response actions planned after that. The site has not yet been deleted from the National Priorities List. EPA completed a second five-year review in February 2024, and results from both five-year reviews are available to the public. Site documents can be reviewed at the EPA Superfund Records Center at 290 Broadway in New York City or at the Carthage Free Library at 412 Budd Street in Carthage. Community members with questions can contact the EPA staff assigned to the site.
