cleanup · Erie County
Bestway Cleaners
Buffalo
A neighborhood dry cleaner operating since 1965 became the focus of a solvent, groundwater, and vapor investigation extending beyond its small Seneca Street parcel.
The documented story
What happened here?
Bestway Cleaners occupies part of a small commercial building at 2075 Seneca Street, sharing the structure with a pizzeria in a densely settled residential and commercial neighborhood. Historical maps and directories trace a dwelling on the property by 1900, later store-and-residential uses, and establishment of the dry cleaner in 1965.
The investigation did not begin from the business name alone. Cleanup work at 2137 Seneca Street, about 500 feet away, found chlorinated solvents remaining in soil, vapor, and groundwater and suggested another source near Bestway. State sampling at Bestway in 2008 then found PCE and related compounds, leading to a site characterization, Class 2 listing, and a broader remedial investigation.
Because the parcel is only about 0.2 acre, the environmental story quickly extended beyond its property line. Investigators sampled soil, groundwater, sediment, soil vapor, sub-slab vapor, and indoor air at the cleaner, the adjoining pizzeria, and nearby homes. Corrective work at the operating cleaner and vapor systems at selected properties addressed exposure pathways before the final remedy was chosen.
Cazenovia Creek lies about 800 feet southwest and receives stormwater from the area, but the site's regulatory record must distinguish a nearby drainage connection from proof that site solvents reached the creek. The documented pathways center on subsurface groundwater and vapor conditions in the investigated area.
Chronology in context
Turning points in the public record
1900–1964
A dwelling, store-and-dwelling, and other retail or residential uses preceded the dry-cleaning business.
1965 onward
Bestway Cleaners operated at 2075 Seneca Street, later sharing the building with a pizzeria.
2003–2008
Investigation and cleanup at 2137 Seneca Street identified a possible additional solvent source; Bestway sampling in 2008 confirmed the need for its own investigation.
2009–2016
Site characterization and remedial investigation traced PCE, TCE, and breakdown products through groundwater, soil vapor, sub-slab vapor, and indoor-air pathways.
2014–2016
Residential vapor investigations led to sub-slab depressurization at two properties; other sampled homes required no further action under the reviewed results.
March 2020
After interim measures addressed identified exposure pathways, DEC selected no further active remediation with institutional controls and site management.
2022–2025
A sub-slab depressurization system was installed in the on-site building, and DEC finalized a site-management plan governing the remaining contamination and vapor systems.
News record
Major news events
Coverage selected here marks a turning point in public awareness, policy, enforcement, employment, or cleanup. Links open at the original publisher or archive; WNYAtlas does not reproduce restricted articles or images.
A small dry-cleaning site enters long-term management with vapor systems on and off the property
DEC's final site-management plan documents commercial-use and groundwater restrictions, continued monitoring, and sub-slab depressurization systems installed at the on-site building and two nearby properties after years of soil-vapor and indoor-air investigation.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ↗Chemical guide
Chemicals named in this record
These links explain potential hazards and exposure pathways. A chemical named in a record does not establish that anyone was exposed or harmed.
Environmental record
Documented impacts
- The principal dry-cleaning compounds include PCE, TCE, cis-1,2-dichloroethene, vinyl chloride, and other related volatile compounds in groundwater or vapor media.
- The 2025 management plan reports 2019 groundwater detections up to 91 parts per billion PCE, 14 parts per billion TCE, and 36 parts per billion 1,2-DCE, all above applicable Class GA groundwater standards.
- PCE was measured in indoor air at the adjoining pizzeria during earlier investigation. Corrective changes at the cleaner included equipment work, sealing penetrations, ventilation improvements, and enhancement of the vapor barrier.
- Sub-slab vapor and indoor air were tested at nearby residences. Two properties received depressurization systems; the reviewed investigation did not conclude that every sampled home required mitigation.
- PFOS was detected in 2019 groundwater sampling at a maximum reported concentration of 12 parts per trillion. The record does not identify Bestway as a PFAS producer or show that PFAS drove the dry-cleaning remedy.
Response
Cleanup and controls
- Interim measures corrected equipment and building conditions at the cleaner and installed sub-slab depressurization systems where DEC and health officials determined mitigation was warranted.
- DEC selected no further active remediation in 2020 because the completed interim measures and continuing controls were incorporated into the remedy; that phrase does not mean the property became unrestricted or contaminant-free.
- The 2025 site-management plan limits the property to commercial use, restricts groundwater use without treatment and approval, governs future excavation, and requires inspection, monitoring, maintenance, and periodic certification.
- Property owners who previously declined vapor sampling may request future evaluation, and the agencies retain authority to require follow-up where conditions warrant.
Then and now
The site today
Bestway remains an active commercial property and a managed Class 2 site. Continued protectiveness depends on operating vapor systems, groundwater and vapor monitoring, excavation controls, access for inspection, and periodic certification under the August 2025 site-management plan.