cleanup · Genesee County
Byron Barrel Site
Byron
A tip about hundreds of noxious-smelling drums led State Police to fly over a secluded salvage yard, exposing two disposal areas and a decades-long solvent cleanup.
The documented story
What happened here?
The Byron Barrel and Drum site sits roughly 1,000 feet off Transit Road in a wooded, agricultural part of Genesee County. The property was used as a salvage yard for graders, bulldozers, cement mixers, cranes, and other heavy equipment.
The site came to official attention in July 1982 after an unidentified person reportedly told the New York State Police Major Crimes Unit that approximately 400 steel drums containing noxious-smelling chemicals had been disposed there. A State Police helicopter flight observed drums on the property.
Investigation ultimately distinguished two disposal areas. Drums, stained soil, waste oils, and chlorinated solvents turned what looked like a rural machinery yard into a federal and state hazardous-waste case.
Buried containers were removed; solvent groundwater remained
Byron Barrel shows how a rural drum site can outlast the drums themselves
1 PCB drumdocumented sample that must not be generalized across the site
1980s
Investigation converted a disposal report into a chemical inventory
The site record identified drums and solvents including TCE, TCA, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, and ethylene dichloride. One drum sample contained PCBs.
1989-2002
Design and excavation removed containers and affected soil
The remedial investigation and feasibility study led to design and soil-action milestones. Source work removed drums and contaminated material from the disposal area.
2002-present
Groundwater management became the longer chapter
Operation, maintenance, monitoring, and treatment evaluate remaining solvent impacts. The site remains Class 2 even though major soil work is complete.
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 tip and police helicopter reveal drums at a rural salvage yard
EPA's decision record preserves the unusual origin of the investigation: a report to the State Police Major Crimes Unit followed by aerial observation of drums on the property.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency decision archive ↗Byron Barrel & Drum joins the national Superfund list
The rural Genesee County disposal property appeared among newly added federal priority sites, moving the case from emergency discovery into long-term remedial investigation.
United Press International archive ↗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.
Chronology
Timeline
- July 1982
A confidential report and State Police helicopter reconnaissance exposed unpermitted drum disposal at the rural salvage yard.
- 1982–1984
Emergency investigation and removal work addressed accessible containers; the site was added to the federal Superfund priorities list.
- 1989
A four-volume remedial investigation reconstructed the two disposal areas, mapped contamination, and evaluated cleanup options.
- 2000–2002
Remedial construction addressed drums and contaminated source soil while preserving a separate groundwater remedy.
- 2002–present
Groundwater treatment, monitoring, and recurring five-year reviews followed the source-removal work.
Environmental record
Documented impacts
- DEC lists TCE, TCA, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, and ethylene dichloride among the principal solvent contaminants.
- One sampled drum contained PCBs; that discrete result should not be described as uniform PCB contamination across the property.
- The reported 400 drums initiated the investigation, but later technical records—not the initial tip alone—define the confirmed disposal areas and remedy.
- Removed drums and soil do not mean the groundwater chapter ended at the same time.
Response
Cleanup and controls
- Early removal actions stabilized and removed accessible containers and wastes.
- The final remedy addressed buried drums and contaminated soil, followed by groundwater treatment and monitoring.
- EPA five-year reviews test whether the remedy remains protective and identify follow-up work.
Then and now
The site today
The site remains Class 2 despite completed soil work.