industry · Erie County
Michael Heyman / 858 East Ferry
Buffalo
Former zinc and lead smelting and refining area where cleanup removed 136,234 tons of lead-contaminated soil from the site and surrounding properties.
The documented story
What happened here?
The 3.32-acre East Ferry Street site was the former Michael Heyman Company zinc and lead smelting and refining facility. High lead concentrations were found in ash and fill, and state investigations showed that contamination extended west into neighboring industrial and commercial properties.
The cleanup became a major Buffalo environmental-justice project because contaminated industrial fill sat close to homes, churches, and community institutions. New York expanded the remedy beyond the former plant boundary as off-site data defined the actual extent.
Lead contamination crossed the factory line into a neighborhood setting
East Ferry became a major environmental-justice cleanup because the smelter's ash and fill extended off site
136,234 tonslead-contaminated soil removed from the site and surrounding properties
Industrial era
Smelting and refining created metal-rich ash and fill
Zinc and lead processing produced residues that were placed or spread across the industrial property. Later land use obscured the extent until systematic sampling followed the material beyond the former plant.
2001-2004
Investigation showed the cleanup boundary had to grow
DEC found that lead-contaminated ash and fill extended west onto neighboring industrial and commercial properties. The surrounding residential and institutional setting made direct-contact protection an environmental-justice priority.
2000s completion
Excavation removed an unusually large volume of affected soil
State work ultimately removed 136,234 tons of lead-contaminated soil from the former facility and affected neighboring properties, replacing it with clean material and documenting the final remedial limits.
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
- Industrial era
Michael Heyman Company operated zinc and lead smelting and refining on East Ferry Street.
- 2001–2004
DEC investigations confirmed that lead-contaminated ash and fill extended onto additional properties west of the plant.
- 2000s
The state expanded cleanup goals and excavated contaminated soil across the site and affected neighboring parcels.
- January 2008
DEC reports that the principal remedial construction was completed.
Environmental record
Documented impacts
- Lead-contaminated ash and fill affected the former smelter property and several neighboring industrial and commercial parcels.
- Cleanup also encountered PCB-contaminated soil, underground fuel-oil tanks, tires, and construction and demolition debris.
- The investigation demonstrates that historic smelting impacts followed fill and property use rather than stopping at the original ownership line.
Response
Cleanup and controls
- The remedy excavated 136,234 tons of lead-contaminated soil and 77 cubic yards of PCB-affected soil.
- Two underground fuel-oil tanks and other waste and debris were removed.
- Excavated areas were restored with 104,156 cubic yards of clean fill, creating land suitable for planned community reuse under the approved remedy.
Then and now
The site today
The large-scale soil removal is complete, and the former industrial land has been positioned for community use. The record remains a defining local example of off-site investigation changing the size and ambition of a cleanup.