byron barrel & drum

TOWN LINE ROAD

The Byron Barrel and Drum site, which occupies about 2 acres of an 8-acre parcel, was used as a salvage yard for heavy construction equipment. In 1982, it was revealed that the site had been used for hazardous waste disposal. Approximately 200 drums of solid and liquid chemical wastes were abandoned on the site without any spill control or containment provisions. Over 200 additional drums were ripped open or crushed, mixed with soil, and covered over. Other drums were disposed of in a ravine. Testing by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation showed hazardous substances, including polychlorinated biphenyls, in many of the drums. The site is bordered by heavily wooded areas and farmland. Surface water drains to Oak Orchard Creek, which is within 1/2 mile of the site. The property lies within 2 miles of a residential area. Approximately 20 people draw drinking water from wells within 1 mile of the site; 2,200 others live within a 3-mile radius. Water supplies are privately provided and use both surface water and ground water. Testing of residential wells near the site through early 1994 has not shown any site-related contaminants to be present.