waterway · Niagara County
Gill Creek / DuPont–Olin Chemical Corridor
Niagara Falls
Creek flowing past the DuPont and Olin chemical plants to the Niagara River. Historic plant-related contaminants affected creek sediment and groundwater; joint cleanup removed about 8,020 cubic yards of contaminated sediment by 1992, while groundwater collection, treatment, and monitoring continued to control migration toward the creek and river.
The documented story
What happened here?
Gill Creek is a small, channelized tributary running through one of Niagara Falls' densest chemical-manufacturing corridors before reaching the Niagara River. DuPont operated on both sides of the creek, while Olin's plants and the former Solvent Chemical property occupied adjoining ground. That geography made the creek both habitat and drainage infrastructure—and made it impossible to explain all contamination as one uniform plume from one company.
DuPont's plant history included chlorinated solvents and PCBs. Olin made chlorine and caustic products and, between 1950 and a destructive 1956 production explosion, organic chemicals including chlorobenzenes, trichlorophenol, and BHC compounds. Investigations later found mercury and chlorinated chemicals in soil and groundwater, with shallow groundwater able to discharge toward Gill Creek.
Creek cleanup occurred in stages. An early 1981 action did not address every affected reach; DuPont and Olin later completed a joint removal in December 1992. In all, about 8,020 cubic yards of contaminated sediment were taken off site. Five years of post-remediation sediment monitoring reported no PCB recontamination in the remediated reach, while groundwater recovery and treatment remained the continuing defense against renewed loading.
Connected history — two plants, one creek, and the Niagara River
Gill Creek became both a contaminant pathway and a joint cleanup corridor
8,020 cu ydapproximately, contaminated creek sediment removed by 1992
Industrial discharge era
The creek received drainage and groundwater from a multi-company corridor
Chemical production altered Gill Creek as both a receiving water and a migration route. Different compounds and groundwater zones were associated with Olin, DuPont, and other nearby properties, making source-specific investigation essential.
Investigation-1992
A joint response removed contaminated sediment
DuPont, Olin, and agencies evaluated source areas and downstream deposition. Approximately 8,020 cubic yards of affected sediment were excavated by 1992 rather than leaving the creek as the final collection point for industrial contaminants.
Long-term phase
Groundwater capture became the barrier against renewed loading
Recovery wells and treatment systems control contaminated groundwater moving toward the creek and river. Current condition therefore depends on continued capture and monitoring, not solely on the historical sediment excavation.
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.
Two chemical companies remove contaminated sediment from a shared creek corridor
Olin and DuPont work proceeded in stages before the joint off-site remediation was completed, reflecting multiple sources and reaches rather than one uniform company plume.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ↗Groundwater capture becomes the continuing barrier protecting Gill Creek and the Niagara River
Recovery wells, treatment, and sediment monitoring remain the less-visible human and ecological protection after the major creek excavation ended.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ↗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
- 1890s onward
Large chemical plants developed along Buffalo Avenue and Gill Creek, altering the land and handling mercury, solvents, chlorinated organics, and other industrial materials.
- 1981
An initial creek cleanup removed contaminated sediment but left an affected reach requiring later work.
- December 1992
The joint DuPont-Olin project finished removal of approximately 8,020 cubic yards of contaminated sediment and restored the excavated creek reach.
- 1992–1998
Five years of post-remediation sediment monitoring did not indicate PCB recontamination in the remediated area.
- Long-term phase
Groundwater recovery wells, treatment, pavement and caps, land-use controls, and monitoring continued at the adjoining industrial properties.
Environmental record
Documented impacts
- PCBs and other industrial contaminants accumulated in Gill Creek sediment; a federal Great Lakes summary reported a highest PCB concentration of 11,000 parts per million in the material characterized for the historic removal.
- Olin investigations identified mercury, benzene, chlorinated benzenes, BHC compounds, chlorinated phenols, and other chemicals in plant soil or groundwater. DuPont and Solvent Chemical plumes also influenced the larger study area.
- Contaminated shallow and bedrock groundwater created continuing pathways toward the creek, sewers, production wells, and Niagara River.
- The creek cleanup volume and highest concentration describe the excavated project area, not every reach of Gill Creek or the full Niagara River.
Response
Cleanup and controls
- Affected creek sediment was excavated and sent to an off-site commercial disposal facility.
- Groundwater recovery systems at the adjoining plants intercept contaminated overburden and bedrock water for treatment. Olin's deep production-well pumping also helps capture portions of the larger industrial plume.
- Paving, caps, deed restrictions, creek-sediment monitoring, and groundwater performance monitoring reduce infiltration and exposure while testing whether hydraulic containment continues to work.
Then and now
The site today
The major sediment removal is historical, while groundwater control remains the critical continuing barrier. Current creek condition should be described from recent monitoring rather than the pre-1992 record alone.
Atlas connections
Connected places
These collections explain documented material, facility, waterway, ownership, or cleanup relationships. Inclusion does not imply that every place shares one contaminant source or plume.
Niagara River waterway and tributary network
The Niagara River hub connects altered tributaries, navigation channels, contaminated embayments, residential fill, source-site cleanups, and habitat projects without treating the entire river corridor as one cleanup site.
The river page organizes the regional record by reach, tributary, embayment, source site, and restoration project.
Navigation and sediment-remediation corridorBlack Rock CanalThe canal received strategic legacy-sediment dredging and remains connected to Scajaquada Creek and Unity Island habitat work.
Highly altered urban tributaryScajaquada CreekScajaquada enters Black Rock Canal after passing buried, channelized, sewer-connected, and site-specific cleanup reaches.
PCB source-tracking tributaryTwo Mile Creek — TonawandaTwo Mile and Rattlesnake creeks were included in the 2018–19 USGS/DEC passive-sampler investigation, with local sources not assumed from proximity alone.
Residential fill investigationCayuga Island Industrial Fill InvestigationCayuga Island sits within the Little Niagara River landscape near, but distinct from, major regulated disposal sites.
Lower-river tributary and embayment recordGill Creek / DuPont–Olin Chemical CorridorGill Creek has its own industrial-source, sediment, remediation, and monitoring history within the larger river corridor.
Industrial drainage and river pathwayPettit Flume / Durez OutfallThe Pettit Flume record follows a defined facility-to-river pathway and does not characterize adjoining shoreline reaches.