The General Motors Foundry, Reynolds, and Alcoa aluminum manufacturing factories are three Superfund sites facing large environmental cleanup costs in New York state. The General Motors Foundry site abuts the St. Lawerence River on the North, the Raquette River on the South and the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation on the East. The foundry is an aluminum casting plant which has been in operation since 1959 for the purpose of die-casting aluminum automotive parts.
From 1959 until 1974, the facility used fire-resistant PCB-based hydraulic fluids in the die-casting machines. Leakage of the hydraulic fluid into the facilities wastewater treatment system produced PCB-contaminated sludge which was disposed of at several sites near the plant. These PCBs and other toxic wastes disposed of on the plant's grounds have contaminated the St. Lawrence River, the Raquette River and Turtle Creek. In 1983 it was placed on the National Priorities List of Superfund Sites and fined half a million dollars for illegal use and diposal of PCBs.
The Reynolds Aluminum Plant is located one mile north of the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation. This plant which started operations in 1959 has been listed as a New York State Superfund site for improper disposal of hazardous wastes on the plant's property. These contaminants have impacted the St. Lawrence River and the Raquette Rivers.
The Alcoa Aluminum Plant is located in Massena, N.Y. on the Grasse River. Contaminants at this state Superfund site include PCBs, cyanide, polychlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), fluoride, and arsenic.
