The Department of Environmental Conservation is investigating contamination at Troy Industrial Solutions in Colonie. Four different types of waste – dichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethene (TCE) and vinyl chloride – were found at the industrial repair and maintenance company, formally known as Troy Belting and Supply Company, during an environmental review. The exact extent of the contamination is still unknown and a remedial investigation needs to be conducted to determine the nature and extent of the contamination, DEC spokesman Rick Georgeson said. The DEC has designated a 2.4-acre portion of the property a brownfield cleanup site.
Troy Industrial Solutions President Jason Smith said the company was looking to expand the footprint of the building at 70 Cohoes Road by about 10,000 square feet. The company has 68 employees and Smith said the company hopes to bring in more jobs. After conducting tests while drilling, Smith said they noticed the contamination in the testing and immediately reported it to the DEC. “If there’s a problem, we want to fix it and we don’t want to cover it up,” Smith said.
Smith said he was fairly certain the contamination came from some processes the company used more than 30 years ago. Troy Industrial Solutions is celebrating its 151th anniversary this year, and has made its headquarters in Colonie since 1965. “This is an inherited, long term issue,” Smith said.
While the site is not being shut down, plans for the expansion are on hold until the contamination is cleaned up. There are no fines associated with the contamination, Georgeson said. He added the issue does not pose a threat to residents because the area is served by public water. “Vapors from the solvents in the ground could pose an issue if they were to migrate into buildings,” he said in an email. “This issue will be addressed with input from the NYS Department of Health once more is known about the full nature and extent of the contamination.” It is not clear how long the cleanup will take because more information about the contamination is still needed, Georgeson said.