The notes from the CIG's September 11, 2008 CIG meeting are now available. They can also be downloaded using the link below.

The notes from the CIG's August 27, 2008 CIG meeting are now available. They can also be downloaded using the link below.

Dr. Watts presentation "A Citizen's Role in the CMS and Risk Assessment" is now available on DVD. Beginning Monday, September 8, you can get a free copy at the Middleport Village Hall on Main St., the Middleport Free Library on Vernon St., the Middleport Family Health Center on Rochester Rd or by sending a request to feedback@middleport-future.com.

The DVD can be played on a regular DVD player connected to your TV or on your computer equipped with a DVD drive, not a CD drive, and with a player installed.

Dr. Daniel Watts is professor of chemistry and director of the Material Characterization Laboratory at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He provides technical expertise to the Middleport Remediation Advisory Group (MRAG) and the Middleport Community Input Group concerning the environmental remediation activities in Middleport being undertaken by FMC Corp.

During a workshop, which was held at the Middleport Scout House on August 12, Dr. Watts informed residents of their rights and responsibilities in terms of providing feedback and suggestions to the Agencies and FMC regarding the plans outlined in the Corrective Measures Study (CMS). He also provided additional information on the CMS process and identified the periods throughout the process when public input is sought.

In addition, Dr. Watts discussed the citizen's role in the determination of risk assessment in Middleport. Risk assessment is the process of identifying and documenting actual and perceived risks to human health or the environment and allow further evaluation and appropriate remediation responses.

If you prefer to review the slides Dr. Watts showed during his presentation, they are available in our document repository. Find them in the Meeting Presentations section or by clicking here.

Beginning September 1st


Since this web site was redesigned earlier this year it has been open to anyone, registered or not, to leave comments and vote in polls. This has allowed hackers and spammers to interfere with what we are trying to do with the site.

It is important to note that this site will always be available to readers to see our news, read and download documents and to learn what the CIG is about. You do NOT need to be registered to read news stories or polls on the site or download items. These things will always be visible.

As discussed and agreed to at the August CIG meeting, beginning September 1, the web site will require anyone who wants to leave a comment or vote in polls to be registered and logged in. In the past these functions could be done as an unregistered, anonymous user. You can still leave comments anonymously or with another name by over typing your registered name when it is displayed in the leave a comment form. Polls do not show names or addresses of those who have voted.

Again, this will NOT affect the ability for unregistered users to read stories, look at comments or polls and download files.

Any registered user who has problems loging in or doesn't remember their name and password should contact the CIG at feedback@middleport-future.com. Anyone wishing to be registered should also contact the CIG at the same E-mail address. We need your name, address and the name you wish to use for your ID on the site. All information will be kept confidential.

The text and diagrams illustrating the arsenic levels from RFI Volume 2 are now available in the RFI Volumes section of the Document Repository. This volume is for the air deposition area of Middleport which is that area south of the Erie Canal to both sides of Route 31 (Rochester Rd.) and both sides of Main St. east to the Niagara/Orleans County line.

Click here to go to that section of the repository.

The volume is in two section: 1) text and diagrams showing the area of concern for this volume, 2) diagrams showing the arsenic contamination at 3, 6, 9 and 12 inches in depth.

From the DOH, EPA and DEC:

In a recent letter to the village, an EPA representative included some general recommendations which the Agencies may provide to an individual homeowner on ways to limit exposure and risk to arsenic. Avoiding consumption of homegrown vegetables was one general recommendation. This was not intended to be interpreted as a general recommendation to avoid gardening or consumption of homegrown produce in the Village of Middleport. Additionally, this was not intended to be a general recommendation that would be provided to all property owners who declined remediation of their property. As the EPA has said in the past, each property is specific and therefore, any recommendations that the Agencies may make to a property owner will likely be specific for their particular soil arsenic concentrations, location of elevated soil arsenic, property use etc.

Not all vegetables take up significant amounts of arsenic from soil. Additionally, for those crops that are more likely to uptake arsenic (leafy vegetables and root crops), the amount of potential arsenic uptake is dependent on many factors, such as soil acidity, organic matter, arsenic type etc. In many cases, the likely potential exposure route associated with gardening in arsenic contaminated soil is the ingestion of soil arsenic that may be present on homegrown produce (e.g. dirt on leaves, roots etc.) that has not been thoroughly washed before consumption. By taking a few simple and practical actions, people can reduce their potential exposure to soil arsenic. Thoroughly washing vegetables and other garden produce before eating, and peeling or skinning root crops, are practical ways to reduce exposure.

These and other practical actions are provided in the NYSDOH Arsenic Fact Sheet. Click on the Read Further link below to see the fact sheet.

A study to determine how well certain plants can take up arsenic from soil is being conducted in Middleport. This study may show the feasibility of using phytoremediation in Middleport to clean up arsenic contaminated soils in yards where the owner desires to save parts or all of their current landscape. Factors such as which plants perform best, how deep can the plants reduce contamination and their efficiency will be determined.

Click on the Read Full Article link below to read the article.