Cleanup of industrial contamination nearly complete, village told

Work on containing and removing underground pollution from a former Fredonia company is “essentially complete,” village officials have been told.

Crews worked this summer to mitigate soil contamination near South Milwaukee Street and Stoney Creek Lane in Fredonia stemming from the use of trichloroethylene, or TCE, at a former HVC site at the corner of Industrial Drive and South Milwaukee Street. 

The contamination area on the now-vacant lot extends east about one block and northwest to Stoney Creek Lane and the Wisconsin Central Limited Railroad tracks.

TCE is a common industrial cleaner and degreasing agent found in paints, paint removers, adhesives, carpet cleaners and dry-cleaning solutions. It has been linked to possible development of Parkinson’s disease.

Phillips-Medisize, the current site owner,  hired crews to install three carbon barriers across the contaminated areas this summer as well as a half dozen or more barriers on the old HVC property to remove TCE at the source. 

“This technology is designed to bring the TCE to acceptable levels ... in approximately three years and to substantially remove the TCE within seven years,” the company stated in a letter sent to affected property owners earlier this year.

Village officials said the contamination has no effect on municipal water because it comes from a different aquifer and there is no risk of exposure to residents.

Public Works Director Roger Strohm said “a couple homes” had shown evidence of TCE gas emanating from the ground, but ventilation systems, similar to those used to eliminate radon gas, were installed and took care of the problem.

Phillips-Medisize, which makes medical diagnostic equipment, discovered the issue after it bought HVC and then began the cleanup process.

With installation of the barriers complete, restoration of the worksite can begin.

“Landscape restoration is ongoing” and two monitoring wells are being placed near the intersection of South Milwaukee Street and Pine Street to help verify that the system works, Strohm told the Village Board recently.

As for other public works projects:

• Strohm told the board that Emmer Avenue will be paved this week.

On Edmaro Street, a new water main has been installed, a storm drain was to be installed, and curb and gutter and asphalt are scheduled for this week or next week, depending on weather.

• A new slide donated by the Fredonia Lions Club has been installed at Stoney Creek Park, he said.

• The shelter at Freedom Park is finished,  and workers are waiting for ground to dry to finish seeding and mulching.