OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER 

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 

625 Broadway. 14th Floor. Albany. New York 12233-10 10 

P: (518) 40 2-8545 I F: (518) 402-8541 

'NWW eke ny gov DEC 2 3 2015 

Ms. Judith A. Enck 

Regional Administrator 

United States Environmental Protection Agency 

Region II 

290 Broadway 

New York, New York 1 0007-1866 

DearM~~

Under authority delegated by the Governor of New York in 2010 to the Commissioner of 

the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), I am proposing 

that the area of Wappinger Creek impacted by the Three Star Anodizing Inactive 

Hazardous Waste Disposal Site located in the Village of Wappingers Falls and the 

Towns of Wappinger and Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County, New York be nominated 

by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for inclusion on the 

National Priorities List. 

The Three Star Anodizing Class 2 site (DEC Site No. 314058) is a portion of an area 

known as the Market Street Industrial Park located within the Village of Wappingers 

Falls. Waste discharges over the 170 years of activity at the industrial park, which 

included a large metal plating facility, a felt hat manufacturer and a manufactured gas 

plant, have resulted in significant heavy metal contamination in the sediment in 

Wappinger Creek in the area defined as Operable Unit 2 of the Class 2 site. 

Contaminants of concern consist of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, 

mercury, nickel and zinc, all present well above DEC sediment screening criteria. 

In addition, sampling of biota (invertebrates, forage fish and predatory fish) conducted 

as a part of the DEC Remedial Investigation specific to the creek, found invertebrate 

abundance and that diversity was low, preventing a robust assessment of invertebrate 

tissue concentrations. Despite this limitation, some of the metals found in sediments 

(e.g., nickel) were also found in invertebrate tissues. 

The NYS Department of State, Division of Coastal Resources has recognized the 

importance of Wappinger Creek as a Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitat, an 

important tributary to the Hudson River and an important fisheries resource. 

It will be important that the selection and design of an eventual remedy for this site 

comply with all NYS ARARs for restoration of the stream beds and banks 

POow

~oYORK I Dep_artment of r<orr Environmental 

Conservation 
If you or your staff would like to discuss this site further, please contact Mr. Robert W. 

Schick, the Director of the Division of Environmental Remediation, at 518-402-9706. 

ec: E. Left 

K. Moser 

P. Riexinger 

E. Moore 

T. Rudolph 

R. Schick 

M. Ryan 

R. Cozzy 

J. Moras 

M. MacCabe 
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION 

Division of Environmental Remediation, Office of the Director 

625 Broadway, 12th Floor, Albany, New York 12233-7011 

P: (518) 402-9706 I F: (518) 402-9020 

www.dec.ny.gov 

January 7, 2016 

Sent Via Email Only 

Mr. Walter E. Mugdan, Director 

Emergency and Remedial Response Division 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region II 

290 Broadway, Floor 19 

New York, New York 1 0007 

Dear Mr. Mugdan , 

I have been asked by your staff to clarify the December 23, 2015 letter from New 

York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Seggos to 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator Judith Enck 

regarding the request for Wappinger Creek to be nominated to the National Priorities List 

(NPL). 

The December 23rd letter made reference to a DEC superfund site, Three Star 

Anodizing (Site No. 314058), the investigation of which lead to DEC discovering 

contamination in Wappinger Creek. Sediment in Wappinger Creek is contaminated with 

arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, and zinc, at concentrations 

well above DEC sediment screening criteria. DEC's request is for the nomination of 

Wappinger Creek itself, not the DEC superfund site. The environmental investigation and 

assessment of sources to Wappinger Creek sediment should not be limited to impacts 

solely from the Three Start Anodizing DEC site. 

If you or your staff would like to discuss this site further, please contact me, at 518-

402-9706. 

Sincerely, 

Robert W. Schick, P.E. 

Director 

Division of Environmental Remediation 

ec: Angela Carpenter, EPA 

Mel Hauptman, EPA 
OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER 

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 

625 Bro<~dway. 14th Floor. Albany. New York 12233-1010 

P: (518) 402-8545 1 F: (518) 402-8541 

·:Ntw drcr. ny qov DEC 2 3 2015 

Ms. Judith A. Enck 

Regional Administrator 

United States Environmental Protection Agency I 

Region II 

290 Broadway 

NewY~Newo, Y rk 10007-1866 

/-("' _() . A-. 

Dear Ms. ck: ~ -

Under authority delegated by the Governor of New York in 2010 to the Commissioner of 

the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), I am proposing 

that the area of Wappinger Creek impacted by the Three Star Anodizing Inactive 

Hazardous Waste Disposal Site located in the Village of Wappingers Falls and the 

Towns of Wappinger and Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County, New York be nominated 

by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for inclusion on the 

National Priorities List. 

The Three Star Anodizing Class 2 site (DEC Site No. 314058) is a portion of an area 

known as the Market Street Industrial Park located within the Village of Wappingers 

Falls. Waste discharges over the 170 years of activity at the industrial park, which 

included a large metal plating facility, a felt hat manufacturer and a manufactured gas 

plant, have resulted in significant heavy metal contamination in the sediment in 

Wappinger Creek in the area defined as Operable Unit 2 of the Class 2 site. 

Contaminants of concern consist of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, 

mercury, nickel and zinc, all present well above DEC sediment screening criteria. 

In addition, sampling of biota (invertebrates, forage fish and predatory fish) conducted 

as a part of the DEC Remedial Investigation specific to the creek, found invertebrate 

abundance and that diversity was low, preventing a robust assessment of invertebrate 

tissue concentrations. Despite this limitation, some of the metals found in sediments 

(e.g., nickel) were also found in invertebrate tissues. 

The NYS Department of State, Division of Coastal Resources has recognized the 

importance of Wappinger Creek as a Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitat, an 

important tributary to the Hudson River and an important fisheries resource. 

It will be important that the selection and design of an eventual remedy for this site 

comply with all NYS ARARs for restoration of the stream beds and banks 

;-:t ,roRK I Oep~rtment of 

""'"oo"' Environmental 

Conservation 
If you or your staff would like to discuss this site further, please contact Mr. Robert W. 

Schick, the Director of the Division of Environmental Remediation, at 518-402-9706. 

ec: E. Left 

K. Moser 

P. Rlexinger 

E. Moore 

T. Rudolph 

R. Schick 

M. Ryan 

R. Cozzy 

J. Moras 

M. MacCabe