Environmental Health Research Group, Inc.
Hold For Release Until: AM, 10/29/26.
For More Info, Please Contact:
W. Hang (607 592 2414)
Environmental Health Research Group, Inc. Posts Government Records Documenting Releases of Dioxin, Petroleum, Lead, Mercury, Barium and More Than A Billion Pounds of Coal Ash That Were Never Comprehensively Cleaned Up at the Milliken Site in Lansing, NY Proposed For Redevelopment
As Early as 1994 State Authorities Documented Toxic Releases at Site That Posed a “Public Health Threat” to Local Residents, Drinking Water and Cayuga Lake But Failed to Remediate Widespread Reported Concerns
New Coalition Letter Requests That Governor Hochul Withhold State Approvals for Site Redevelopment Until All Documented Toxic Concerns Are Restored to “pre-disposal conditions, to the extent feasible” as Mandated by State Law.
Environmental Health Research Group, Inc., an organization that compiles government information for public review, today posted extensive Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) data documenting decades of toxic releases and coal ash dumping at the Milliken utility site in Lansing, NY proposed for redevelopment.
The detailed DEC information is presented in a new coalition letter which requests that Governor Hochul immediately withhold all State regulatory approvals for redevelopment of the site until a wide range of documented toxic releases and contamination concerns are restored to “pre-disposal conditions, to the extent feasible” as mandated by State regulatory requirements.
In 1994, DEC conducted a Hazard Ranking System assessment that determined pollution concerns on and around the Site posed a “Public Health Threat.” The HRS score of 37.3 exceeded the 28.5 score required for inclusion in the National Priority List for Superfund Cleanup, aka “the worst dumps in the country.”
The Site was never included in the NPL and no comprehensive remediation was conducted even though DEC’s 1994 report noted, “There have been complaints from neighboring residents about blowing fly ash from the landfill.” And “It is not known if there is a liner under the older section of the landfill.”
“New York’s decades-long failure to remediate documented pollution threats at the Milliken Site is irresponsible and unacceptable,’ said Walter Hang, President of EHRG, Inc. “It is imperative that Governor Hochul clean up all groundwater impacts, coal ash releases and contaminant discharges in order to safeguard public health and Cayuga Lake without any further delay,” Hang noted.
The Milliken Site adjoins Cayuga Lake which supplies drinking water to more than 30,000 local residents and is included in the National 303(d) Registry of Impaired Waters due to widespread water quality violations and massive Harmful Algal Blooms. This historic waterbody has required a comprehensive Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) watershed cleanup plan since 2002, but no plan has ever been implemented.
The former utility Site’s documented contaminant concerns include:
A. More than a billion pounds of coal ash reportedly landfilled on-site over 35+ acres and also disposed of off-site. The former utility facility reportedly generated discharges of toxic inorganics, metals and organic incomplete combustion by-products that can be present in coal ash, including, but not limited to: Dioxin and dioxin-like compounds, Mercury compounds, Lead compounds, Chromium, Hydrogen fluoride, Barium compounds, Vanadium compounds, Manganese compounds, Zinc compounds, Ammonia, Sulfuric acid, Hydrochloric acid and Formic acid.
Dioxin is considered one of the most toxic chemicals known to science. This contaminant prompted unprecedented public health protection actions at the Love Canal in Niagara Falls, NY, Times Beach, MO and Seveso, Italy.
B. Numerous petroleum and spills that reportedly impacted Cayuga Lake:
Page13: Spill No: 9815239
Water Body: CAYUGA LAKE (bold is emphasis added)
Material Family: Petroleum
Caller Remark: “CIRCULATING NOW AS A SHEEN…”
DEC Remark:
“LOST AS A SHEEN TO THE LAKE. IT WAS UNRECOVERABLE”
Page 15: Spill No: 9505149
Material Family: Petroleum
Caller Remark: “STREET SWEEPER LEAKED OIL WHILE CLEANING ROAD AT FACILITY. SOME OIL SHEEN ENTERED STORM SEWERS LEADING TO LAKE.”
Page 20: Spill No: 9208851
Water Body: CAYUGA LAKE
Caller Remark: “WHILE REMOVING A FLY ASH COLLECTION SILO THE BOOM OF THE CRANE INVOLV-ED IN THE REMOVAL FAILED. ACCORDING TO PLT MGR APPROXIMATELY 7 TONS OFASH (stet) SPILLED FROM SILO. 80%CONTAINED. 20% WENT FREE IN AIR.”
Material Name: bituminous fly ash
Page 19: Spill No: 9712846
Caller Remark: “CALLER NOTICED DURING THE RECENT RAIN STORM A SHEEN RUNNING OFF OF THE ROAD INTO THE STORM DRAIN”
C. The facility reportedly generated a wide range of hazardous wastes, including, but not limited to: IGNITABLE WASTE, CORROSIVE WASTE, REACTIVE WASTE, CHROMIUM, LEAD, BENZENE, TETRACHLOROETHYLENE, SPENT HALOGENATED SOLVENTS USED IN DEGREASING and SPENT NONHALOGENATED SOLVENTS.
The legacy hazardous waste disposal practices of the former utility facility have not been reported on a comprehensive basis by Site owners/operators. See: RTK Program – Reported Hazardous Waste Data – Ithaca City Dump
State authorities should require detailed past dumping information to be disclosed and made public as part of the Site Assessment and Remediation efforts requested by the coalition letter.
Environmental Health Research Group, Inc. is an environmental advocacy group with extensive experience documenting toxic pollution concerns with government data. See: Environmental Health Research Group
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