Where we live, where tests have been performed, where toxins have been found
The best maps showing what's been tested and what's been found are in the SHIP Toxins Database: : http://ship.no-ip.org
A wide variety of historic maps of Ithaca and Tompkins County are available from the County GIS site. In particular, the 1873 and 1882 "Birds-Eye" views of Ithaca show how slowly development of South Hill proceeded.
Maps based
on the GIS data have recently been crafted by Ian C. Toevs, then a graduate
student at Cornell. These include:
- the housing parcels in the "area
of interest" showing the potential extent of contamination
- the area's utilities:
sanitary and storm sewer lines, major water lines, and primary gas mains.
(It's quite possible that the excavations needed to install these lines
have left "preferential pathways" for the movement of toxins
through the top soil layer of the ground.)
- some of the area's "exterior" testing points: the soil vapor
monitoring sites
and the location of groundwater monitoring wells.
- the geology
of the lower South Hill area, showing "joint sets" and where
the lines for the "Electrical Resistivity" tests ran.
"FRACTURE TRENDS"
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The geology of South Hill presents many problems to fully understand. The underlying rock is generally classified as being four zones (A-zone, B-zone, C-zone, and D-zone) and much work has been done to identify both the geological features (fractures, bedding planes) and the man-made features (wells, drain pipes, sewer lines, etc.) After rounds of Electrical Resistivity tests, exploratory drilling, attempts at using ground-penetrating radar, and considerable analysis, some theories have emerged. "Figure 9" of the Supplemental Remedial Investigation Report shows four "possible fracture trends", running roughly from the southeast down the hill to the northwest. These are shown as dashed lines with a yellow highlight on the WSP figure. The map to the right represents an attempt to superimpose those "possible fracture trends" on the "Trichloroethene Presence" map available in the SHIP Toxic Chemical Database. Given the levels of toxins that have been reported at the locations on the EPT site where these "trends" seem to originate, it is not surprising that high levels of toxins have been found in the ground in the neighborhood downhill along these trend lines. |
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Other maps of interest, in roughly chronological order:
1905 survey map of the Turner properties, by K.F. Crandall
1961 "Sanborn Fire" map of Morse Chain site, showing many of the presumed functions of the plant areas: Small map Big map
1971 Morse Chain Drawing showing the water discharge "outfalls" from the plant.
1976 Topographic map provided by Emerson's Consultants, Environmental Strategies Consultants LLC (ESC).
2004 "Site Layout and Vadose Zone Sampling Locations" map provided by ESC.
2005 "Groundwater Monitoring Well Locations" map provided by ESC.
2005 Electrical Resistivity Survey map showing ERS lines relative to homes in Indoor Air Study, provided by ESC.
2005 "Onsite Assessment Results" and "Plant Indoor Air Sampling Program" maps, provided by ESC as part of the Onsite Assessment released on December 13, 2005 by ESC.
2006 Maps
prepared by the NYS Department of Health for the Jan. 25, 2006 Public
Meeting, showing:
- Winter 2005/2006 TCE Sub-Slab Results
- Winter
2005/2006 PCE Sub-Slab Results
- Offsite
Monitoring Wells
2006 Map of "Soil Vapor Sampling Results - NCR Sewer Line", released Jan. 26, 2006 (the day after the Public Meeting) by ESC.
2006 Map of R&D Building Basement and First Floor Indoor Air Sample Locations, released March 3, 2006 by ESC.