Ithaca Gun factory (121-125 Lake Street, Ithaca NY) is a current NYS DEC remediation site right off of the Ithaca Falls Natural Area. This thesis lays out extensively the environmental context of the area, which includes history of lead-laden soils, PCB spills, and TCE, vinyl chloride, benzene contamination. The status of chemical presence is unclear, given the DEC classification of N.* It was just announced that the Ithaca Gun factory site is now subject to high-rise apartment building construction in August 2022.

Given the history of the site, its proximity to residential communities and its unreliable status of contamination, how can community members monitor the potential health, safety and ecological impacts this new construction may cause?

* Class N Sites: "DEC offers this information with the caution that the amount of information provided for Class N sites is highly variable, not necessarily based on any DEC investigation, sometimes of unknown origin, and sometimes is many years old. Due to the preliminary nature of this information, significant conclusions or decisions should not be based solely upon this summary."

Related links:

• Visum puts forth new apartment plans for Ithaca Gun site
• https://www.dec.ny.gov/cfmx/extapps/derexternal/haz/details.cfm?ProgNo=C755019A
• https://www.dec.ny.gov/cfmx/extapps/derexternal/haz/details.cfm?ProgNo=V00511