The Former Schenectady Army Depot - Voorheesville Area (former Depot) was a United States Department of the Army maintenance, distribution, and supply depot from 1941 through 1969. Activities at the Depot involved the receipt, storage, and transmission of goods for the U.S. military during peacetime, as well as during World War II and the Korean War. The former Depot is located in the Town of Guilderland, outside of Albany, New York. Between 1963 and 1969, most of the Depot was sold to private owners with the exception of a small area currently leased to the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). The DLA uses this area for storage of strategic materials such as ferrochrome, zinc, lead, and aluminum oxide. For more information about the history of the former Depot, Click Here for Chapters 4, 5, and 6 of the Investigation Report - Archival Search.

The US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is conducting work at the site, under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program for Formerly Used Defense Sites (DERP-FUDS). DERP-FUDS is a federal program to investigate and clean up any environmental conditions resulting from the Department of Defense's (DoD's) past activities at installations that have since been transferred to private ownership.

The Corps has conducted several studies at the former Depot, and in concert with the DLA, has prepared a Remedial Investigation Field Sampling Plan and a General Safety and Health Plan to establish and define what further environmental measures are necessary at the site. These documents are available for review at the project's repositories or click on the following to view online the Remedial Investigation Field Sampling Plan.

A Restoration Advisory Board has been formed to facilitate communication and make recommendations to the Corps about activities at the site. The RAB is composed of interested community members, representatives from local and state agencies, and the Corps. The RAB meets every two to three months to offer and receive input from the community and the Corps about ongoing activities at the site.

Public Meeting
for the
Former Schenectady Army Depot – Voorheesville Area

Tuesday, December 9, 2008
6:30 p.m.
Lynnwood Reformed Church
3714 Carman Road
Schenectady, New York

The agenda for the meeting will be to review and solicit public comments on the following documents:
  • Draft Final Proposed Plan for Area of Concern #2
  • Draft Final Focused Feasibility Study for Areas of Concern #1 and #7
  • Draft Final Focused Feasibility Study for Area of Concern #8

    • If you have any questions or are interested in joining the FSADVA Restoration Advisory Board as a volunteer, please contact:

    Mr. Gregory J. Goepfert
    Project Manager
    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District
    26 Federal Plaza, Room 1811
    CENAN-PP-E
    New York, NY 10278
    Telephone Toll-free: (877) 607-0580

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    LEGAL NOTICE

    Document Availability and Public Meeting Notice
    U. S. Army Corps of Engineers

    The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) announces the following documents are available for Public Review for designated areas of the Former Schenectady Army Depot -- Voorheesville Area, Guilderland, New York:
    Draft Final Proposed Plan for Area of Concern #2
    Draft Final Focused Feasibility Study for Areas of Concern #1 and #7
    Draft Final Focused Feasibility Study for Area of Concern #8


    Area of Concern #2 (AOC #2) is the designation given to the Bivouac Area/Post Commander’s Landfill at the former Schenectady Army Depot (FSADVA); AOC #2 is a separate parcel from the main depot, located on Depot Road, which served as the depot Commander’s residence. USACE conducted a removal action at AOC #2; post-excavation soil, surface water and groundwater sampling and analysis was subsequently performed, which demonstrated the effectiveness of the removal action. USACE is proposing that no further actions be taken at AOC #2, except for the proper closure of monitoring wells.

    The former depot’s U.S. Army Southern Landfill is designated as AOC #1, currently located within the confines of the Northeastern Industrial Park. AOC #7 is a triangular-shaped disposal area located near the southeastern end of the FSADVA and west of AOC #1. This area was bounded by railroad tracks on three sides. The Draft Final Focused Feasibility Study for Areas of Concern #1 & #7 presents four remedial action alternatives for controlling any potential human health risks and/or potential ecological risks posed by groundwater and surface water found in AOC #1, related to prior Department of Defense site use.

    USACE recommends the selection of Alternative 4: Chemical Oxidation of Groundwater/Landfill Cap-Cover/Carbon Treatment of Surface Water/Land Use Controls for AOC #1. AOC #7 is not considered a risk because there is no soil risk, and the groundwater risk identified in the human health risk assessment was primarily related to volatile organic compounds identified in groundwater sampled from monitoring wells at AOC #1; there is no risk associated with the groundwater sampled from monitoring wells at AOC #7.

    AOC #8 is composed of Black Creek and the Western Ditch areas. Black Creek enters the former depot from the south and flows north along its east side. The Draft Final Feasibility Study for Area of Concern #8 identifies four remedial action alternatives for controlling any potential human health risks and/or potential ecological risks posed by the impacted sediment found on the site, related to prior Department of Defense site use. USACE recommends the selection of Alternative 2: Restrict access to the AOC #8 site to prevent recreational or other use of Black Creek (including fishing) and the Western Ditch. Access would be restricted only within the present Northeastern Industrial Park fence line, and “no trespassing” signs would be posted and maintained to minimize/prevent unauthorized access to the AOC #8 site.

    The documents referred to above are available for public review in both the Guilderland and Voorheesville Public Libraries. The address of the Guilderland Public Library is: 2228 Western Avenue (Route 20), Guilderland, NY 12084; telephone (518) 456-2400; the Voorheesville Public Library is located at 51 School Road, Voorheesville, NY 12186; telephone (518) 765-2791. The documents have also been posted on the project website: http://www.fsadva.com.

    A public meeting to discuss these documents will be held on Tuesday, December 9, 2008, at the Lynnwood Reformed Church, 3714 Carman Road, Schenectady, New York. The meeting will begin at 6:30 P.M.

    Please send any written public comments on these documents by December 27, 2008, to: Mr. Gregory J. Goepfert, Project Manager, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, CENAN-PP-E, Room 1811, 26 Federal Plaza, New York, New York 10278. (Telephone: 917-790-8235)