 Cold Spring is a town in New York State, situated on the Hudson River  To the south of Cold Spring is:  Foundry Cove – a small river inlet  Constitution Marsh – a diverse wetland  A battery factory was established in 1952 between the town and the river  The resulting pollution caused devastating heavy metal contamination both inside and outside the plant facility, making it "the most cadmium polluted site in the world” (Klerks, 1987)  Pollutants included: Cadmium ZincTrichloroethylene (TCE) Nickel Cobalt  Cadmium is extremely toxic to humans – it is carcinogenic and has been banned from use in manufacturing by the EU

 US Army constructs battery plant Polluted water starts contaminating the area  Treatment plant built after a series of owners  Marathon Battery Co. purchases the plant  Congress passes the Clean Water Act  NY State discovers Cadmium in Foundry Cove  EPA orders Marathon to dredge sediment. Sediments buried in underground vault  Discharge of Cadmium treated wastewater allowed  NY State discovers high levels of Cadmium and Nickel in Cove, Marsh and surrounding area  Marathon Company closes plant

 The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) drew up a remediation plan, which they were to personally manage  In 1983 the area became a Superfund Site, due to the severity and extent of Cadmium contamination  Superfund Site – a National Priorities List of abandoned hazardous waste sites requiring long-term cleanup, under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, 1980  Remediation plan split into 3 areas:  The battery plant grounds  Foundry Cove  The surrounding areas including residential and recreational areas

 Dredging, draining and treating contaminated sediments (removing 95% of Cd.)  Replanting acres of marshes along Foundry Cove  Excavating and treating contaminated soil in an underground vault (lined with clay and asphalt) on the plant property  Tearing down plant buildings and processing towers  Excavating contaminated soil from residential gardens near the site and landscaping these yards

 Marathon Company closes plant and relocates  Site purchased for use as a storage site Congress passes CERCLA  EPA adds Foundry Cove site area as a Superfund Site  EPA orders the former plant owners to clean up the site  The Army and Marathon reimburse the EPA for the clean up  Agreement with Gould (previous facility tenant) for clean up  Army and Marathon set up trust fund  Dredging of marsh and cove Excavation and deposition of Cadmium  Marsh replanting  Clean-up completed

 The responsible parties, Marathon Battery, Gould and the US Army were forced to pay $109 million ▪ Marathon - $9 million ▪ Gould - $57 million ▪ US Army - $43 million The majority of Marathon’s and Gould’s costs were covered by their insurance

 In 1995, the clean-up was completed  On 18th October 1996, the site was officially delisted from the Superfund program  The former battery site has been declared safe and is ready for redevelopment  In total 189,000 tonnes of contaminated soil and sediment was removed and treated off site  Today, Constitution Marsh is a Bird Conservation Area, Foundry Cove is a popular destination as an area of natural beauty, and nature education centres are located in the Cold Spring area Foundry Cove & Constitution Marsh in 1995 after replanting and reintroduction of wildlife