1) Introduction

The Peter Cooper Gowanda (PCG) Superfund Site is a twenty-six acre parcel of property that once housed a large glue factory, reported at one time to be the biggest in the world.  The factory played an important role in the history of the Village of Gowanda, New York as it was one of the area’s largest industrial employers for the better part of the 20^th century (1904 –1985) and helped establish the Village as the commercial and residential hub of the primarily rural region of central-western New York. The factory, however, also left a legacy of environmental contamination that the community is struggling to resolve.  Beginning in1971 the site became a concern to environmental regulatory agencies, culminating in its inclusion on the National Priorities List (Federal Superfund) in 1998.

In July 2001 the Village of Gowanda commissioned the University at Buffalo Center for Integrated Waste Management to carry out this Reuse Assessment and Concept Plan for the PCG site.  The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has provided financial support for the project through its Superfund Redevelopment Initiative (SRI) program.

The central purpose of this report is to help the Village and the USEPA answer the question “What does the future hold for the Peter Cooper Gowanda Superfund site”.  This is an important question in the Superfund remediation process as assumptions about future use of the site, referred to as the “reasonably anticipated future land use” by the USEPA, weigh heavily in decisions that may have long-term impacts on the neighborhoods and communities that surround Superfund sites.   The “reasonably anticipated future land use” at Superfund sites is used at the risk assessment stage and subsequently in the final decision on the extent of remediation that will take place on the site. 

The USEPA has noted that: “Current land use is critical in determining whether there is a current risk associated with a Superfund site, and future land use is important in estimating potential future threats.”

The Village identified several goals and objectives it hoped to accomplish with the resources made available through the SRI program, including:

• Development of a reuse plan that fits both long and short-range community needs;

• To increase the opportunity for public involvement and consensus building;

• Enhance development of adjacent property; and

• Insure that the form of remediation is compatible with the future use needs of the community.  

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