Lehigh Valley Railroad

⚠ Superfund · Cleanup underway

EPA issued a final cleanup plan in September 2023 to address site groundwater, bedrock, soil, soil vapor, and surface water. The cleanup plan includes the excavation and off-site disposal of highly impacted soil in the spill area and the installation of a soil cover system to prevent contact with residual TCE-impacted soil.

Location

CityLe Roy
CountyGenesee County
StateNew York
Coordinates42.99203, -77.93331

Contaminants of concern

Contaminated media

Cleanup timeline

  1. Initial Assessment Completed — 09/25/1991
  2. Proposed to the National Priorities List — 07/28/1998
  3. Finalized on the National Priorities List — 01/19/1999
  4. Remedial Investigation Started — 07/28/1998
  5. Remedy Selected — 07/27/1999
  6. Final Remedy Selected — 09/28/2023
  7. Remedial Action Started — 09/30/1999
  8. Construction Completed — Not Yet Achieved
  9. Deleted from National Priorities List — Not Yet Achieved
  10. Most Recent Five-Year Review — Not Yet Achieved

EPA references

Other Superfund sites in Genesee County

EPA-regulated facilities nearby

Understanding this Superfund site

Lehigh Valley Railroad is a federal Superfund site in New York. The Superfund program, created by Congress in 1980, addresses sites where hazardous substances have been released or threaten release into the environment. EPA scores potential sites using the Hazard Ranking System; those that score high enough are placed on the National Priorities List.

Current status: Cleanup underway. Active cleanup is underway, meaning EPA has approved a remediation plan and work is in progress. Cleanup timelines vary widely — some sites take decades depending on contamination depth, groundwater involvement, and funding availability.

EPA has identified 5 contaminants of concern at this site, including 1,1-dichloroethene, chloroethene (vinyl chloride), cis-1,2-dichloroethene. Contamination has been detected in groundwater, surface water, soil.

If you live near this site and have health concerns, your state health department can provide site-specific guidance. EPA maintains a community involvement program for most NPL sites, and site documents — including the Record of Decision, five-year reviews, and public health assessments — are typically available through EPA's Superfund site profile.