EVALUATING POTENTIAL HEAVY METAL CONTAMINATION FROM ITHACA GUN COMPANY IN THE FALL CREEK DELTA (ITHACA, NY)

Industrial activity in the United States during 18^th and 19^th centuries relied heavily on hydropower and, as a result, many mills and factories were constructed near rivers and streams. However, an unintended consequence of this was to increase the risk of contamination of the nearby stream and areas downstream from the associated industrial activity. One example of this problem is the Ithaca Gun Company site that is located adjacent to Fall Creek in Ithaca, NY. As a result of over a century of firearms manufacturing and testing, the site was contaminated with heavy metals including lead, chromium, and arsenic. Although much is known about the contamination on-site as a result of two remediation efforts, we are unable to assess the extent of any off-site migration of metals into the Fall Creek delta and floodplain. In this study, we report initial compositional data of sediments taken downstream from the Ithaca Gun site. Sample were taken using a soil corer for the floodplain area and a sediment grab for the submerged areas and analyzed using X-ray fluorescence methods. Compared to the control sample taken upstream from the site (25 ppm Pb), sediment samples from the stream channel and nearshore delta show little to no difference in lead concentration. However, samples from the floodplain adjacent to the Fall Creek channel show elevated concentrations of lead (up to 81 ppm Pb). Although these levels do not pose an immediate hazard to public health, further study of the floodplain and the distal portions of the delta is needed.