Emerson Admits to Contamination Problems in Ithaca

Via The Ithaca Journal

Emerson Power Transmission, the current owners of the Morse Chain building on Aurora Street in Ithaca discovered in 1987 that the site was a source of trichloroethene, a carcinogen also known as TCE. In spite of continuing cleanup efforts, EPT admits that the situation has not improved much.

"The treatment system has not removed the mass of contamination as expected," Emerson spokeswoman Emily Tzinger said Friday (May 13, 2005).

Recent tests show groundwater monitoring wells have levels of TCE, as high as 43,000 micrograms per liter. The Environmental Protection Agency's limit for TCE in drinking water is 5,000 micrograms per liter.