The documented story

What happened here?

This roughly 50-acre former limestone quarry was later filled with municipal refuse, incinerator ash, construction and demolition debris, appliances, vegetation, and documented Buffalo Forge waste. Portions became McCarthy Park and nearby development, while an open quarry area serves as a stormwater-retention basin.

State investigation evaluated whether the mixed fill warranted continued hazardous-waste registry status. DEC concluded that the record supported removal from the registry, a regulatory decision that does not erase the quarry's fill history.

A quarry became a dump, a park, development land, and a stormwater basin

LaSalle Reservoir preserves several different landscapes within one former excavation

50 acresapproximately, within the former quarry landscape

Quarry era

Limestone extraction created a deep urban void

Mining produced the defining landform. Later disposal did not fill every portion equally, which is why the modern park, developed land, and open reservoir require separate interpretation.

Filling and reuse

Municipal material created new ground; an industrial allegation required testing

The quarry accepted refuse, incinerator ash, demolition material, appliances, and vegetation. Records also suspected Buffalo Forge paint waste mixed with sawdust and sweepings, but the reviewed investigation did not confirm that disposal claim.

Park and reservoir

One excavation became two very different public landscapes

Filled ground supported McCarthy Park and development. The unfilled quarry remained open and became a Buffalo Sewer Authority stormwater-retention basin rather than a recreational lake.

Investigation and present use

Delisting and later brownfield controls answered different questions

The early investigation supported removal from the hazardous-waste registry. Later brownfield work addressed widespread low-level metals and PAHs in heterogeneous fill and imposed parcel-specific cover and management requirements.

NYSDEC: LaSalle Reservoir Phase II investigation ↗NYSDEC: legacy LaSalle site-management plan ↗NYSDEC: Legacy LaSalle brownfield application and environmental history ↗

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.

PAHs

Chronology

Timeline

Quarry era
Limestone extraction created a large excavated basin.
Fill era
Municipal refuse, ash, debris, appliances, vegetation, and some industrial waste entered the quarry.
Public reuse
Filled portions became parkland and development; the remaining basin served stormwater storage.
State evaluation
DEC investigation supported removal from the hazardous-waste registry.

Environmental record

Documented impacts

The quarry received heterogeneous municipal, demolition, ash, and documented industrial fill.
Filled land beneath public uses requires careful soil and cover management.
Registry removal means state criteria for continued listed-site action were not met, not that no waste exists.

Response

Cleanup and controls

State investigation and sampling evaluated hazardous-waste concerns and exposure pathways.
Existing cover and paved or landscaped surfaces limit routine contact with fill.
Future excavation should use environmental review and controlled soil management appropriate to unknown fill.

Then and now

The site today

The area supports park, development, and stormwater uses after state review. It belongs in the atlas as a documented filled quarry with a non-active registry status, not as an open hazardous-waste cleanup.

School-map connection

See the documented campus relationship

The schools research map explains the documented property, adjacency, or mapped-parcel relationship without treating proximity as evidence of exposure or present school conditions.

Linked schools mapBUFFALO UNITED CHARTER SCHOOL →

LaSalle Reservoir / Former Quarry Landfill