NORWICH – Cleanup and decontamination work which began in late October will continue throughout the winter and early spring at a former New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) plant, behind Front and Birdsall Streets and adjacent to the Tops parking lot.

Phase one of the cleanup will include the collection and disposal of coal tar oil and contaminated groundwater, the in-situ solidification of impacted soils and the installation of a clean soil cover, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which ordered the cleanup in March of 2008.

The in-situ solidification process involves the utilization of a nozzle-equipped auger, which injects a cement-bentonite mixture into the ground, according to NYSEG Manager of Regional Outreach and Development James Salmon. When the mixture cures, it prevents the byproducts of outdated manufacturing gas plants from migrating or dissolving into the groundwater. This “cured” mixture can then be easily excavated using standard construction equipment should the need arise in the future, he added.

A private contractor, hired by NYSEG, will perform the cleanup and decontamination, with oversight provided by the NYSDEC and the New York State Department of Health.

Originally utilized for the manufacturing of natural gas from 1863 to 1953, the site now contains an unknown amount of discharged coal tar oil, and the goal of phase one is to remove and dispose of the contaminant and the soils containing it.