Endicott settlement between NY DEC and IBM

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

I.B.M. Agrees to Take Steps to Clean Up Polluted Soil

By SAMME CHITTUM
New York Times
August 12, 2004

ENDICOTT, N.Y., Aug. 10 - I.B.M. has agreed to a consent order with the state
that binds the company, founded in this upstate village, to a course of action
to clean up an underground plume of industrial pollution, decades old, that has
sent chemical vapors wafting into hundreds of basements.

The company, which was not the sole source of the pollution but is the only
business working on the cleanup, has already spent several million dollars
installing ventilation systems similar to those used for radon gas, and
creating a network of wells, pumps and filters to extract chemical contaminants
from groundwater. The vapor problem came to light here in 2003 as a result of
air-quality tests sought by residents and required by the State Department of
Environmental Conservation.

I.B.M. agreed to the consent order on Aug. 4 without admitting wrongdoing. "We
are fully committed to this project,'' said Todd Martin, a spokesman for
I.B.M., which has reduced its work force here to 1,700 from a peak of 12,000 in
the mid-1970's through the 80's. The order states that the company disagrees
with the department's assessment that the pollution poses "a significant threat
to public health and the environment.''

I.B.M. is installing a piping system that will transport water from extraction
wells to a treatment facility on Monroe Street, Mr. Martin said. Earlier this
year, the company donated $2 million to the village for equipment to help treat
its well water.

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for the entire article, see
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/12/nyregion/12ibm.html