As part of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s (NYSDEC) Voluntary Cleanup Program, Lockheed Martin Corporation (Lockheed Martin) will be carrying out soil sampling around Bloody Brook, a tributary to Onondaga Lake that passes through residential, commercial, and light industrial areas in the Town of Salina and Village of Liverpool.
Past sampling at the site has shown concentrations of cadmium (a substance that is toxic to human health) in soil and sediment that exceed the levels recommended by the NYSDEC. Concentrations of cadmium in the soil ranged from undetectable levels up to 5,350 parts per million, with the highest concentrations generally found at depths greater than 1 foot. Although the NYSDEC, NYS Department of Health, and the county Health Department have determined that the risk of exposure to cadmium in the soil is minimized by vegetative cover and difficulty of access to some areas of the site, the Onondaga County Health Department recommends avoiding contact with sediment in the brook or soil along its banks until the site has been remediated.
The 7-week investigation that will start this spring will provide more information about the extent of contamination in order to develop a remediation plan for the site. About 740 samples will be taken, of which over 700 will be collected from residential areas.
For a brief summary of the upcoming investigation, download the NYSDEC’s fact sheet.
For a copy of past sampling data, future sampling maps, and details about the procedures to be used in future sampling, download the Design Soil Investigation Work Plan. The plan has been approved by the NYSDEC.
