Tainted IBM-Endicott Dump May Be Cleaned Up

A Broome County site that was used for years as a disposal area for IBM-Endicott waste chemicals could be decontaminated under a plan being reviewed by New York state officials.

The IBM Gun Club burn pit is located on Robinson Hill Road in the town of Union, a few miles east of Big Blue's former North Street manufacturing complex in the village of Endicott.

The Department of Environmental Conservation is accepting comments regarding a plan to address contamination at the IBM property.

According to the state, the site poses a "significant threat" to public health or the environment because of contaminants in groundwater, surface water and the soil.

Written comments may be submitted to the DEC through November 15.

The tainted area is part of the old IBM Gun Club property. Inside a fenced section of the site is an electronics testing facility and a former burn pit.

According to the state agency, the site is no longer used by IBM except for the ongoing environmental investigation.

The cost of cleaning up and monitoring the contaminated property has not been disclosed publicly.

Frank Roma, a member of the Western Broome Environmental Stakeholders Coalition, says people have provided accounts of trucks arriving at the site and dumping chemicals, which then were burned.

Roma told WNBF Radio's Binghamton Now that he doesn't know when the practice stopped.

Roma said while some of the chemicals may have been burned off, some material seeped into the ground at the site.

Roma said IBM will be hiring the contractors and covering the cost of the planned cleanup work on the property.

It's unclear how soon the decontamination work will get underway.