Pratt & Letchworth — Scajaquada Creek Foundry

Buffalo

An iron foundry at 189 Tonawanda Street placed approximately 19,000 tons of foundry sand and 16,000 tons of slag along Scajaquada Creek or at the end of its property between 1949 and 1965. DEC documented this disposal history and selected No Further Action in 1995 following a separate PCB-soil cleanup.

The documented story

What happened here?

Pratt & Letchworth manufactured iron products at a creekside foundry. Foundry sand is used to form casting molds; slag is a residue of metal processing. This was a different business from nearby paint manufacturer Pratt & Lambert.

Chronology in context

Turning points in the public record

1949–1965

DEC records disposal of approximately 19,000 tons of foundry sand and 16,000 tons of slag along the creek banks or at the end of the plant property.

1982

Foundry operations ceased.

1993–February 1994

PCB-contaminated soil was excavated and shipped off site.

July 1995

DEC selected No Further Action after the PCB removal.

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.

PCBs

Environmental record

Documented impacts

The record identifies the producer, material, disposal period and approximate quantities. It documents disposal; it does not by itself establish the permits or rules governing that placement.
DEC did not establish a direct link between this site and PCB contamination in Scajaquada Creek. The creek's broader industrial history requires separate source attribution.

Response

Cleanup and controls

The PCB cleanup removed 49 tons of hazardous soil to CWM in Model City and 934 tons of nonhazardous soil to Lake View Landfill in Erie, Pennsylvania. These quantities describe PCB-soil removal, not removal of all historic foundry fill.
DEC's current map lists site 915045 as Class C, meaning completed, checked September 28, 2026. That classification does not establish that every historical fill deposit was excavated.

Then and now

The site today

Use 189 Tonawanda Street to orient to the former foundry. Observe from lawful public streets or paths; the map marker does not establish public access to the property or creek bank.

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.

Foundry and paint industries along Scajaquada Creek

Separate manufacturers and waste histories along one creek. These connections do not assign creek contamination to a particular plant.

Iron foundryPratt & Letchworth — Scajaquada Creek Foundry

Documented foundry-sand and slag disposal at 189 Tonawanda Street, with a later PCB-soil cleanup.

Separate paint manufacturerPratt & Lambert — Scajaquada Creek Plants

Pratt & Lambert was a different company with separate plant and waste records.

Waterway contextScajaquada Creek

The broader creek investigation considers multiple industrial properties.