EPA Superfund site
PIERSON'S CREEK
Exposure status: insufficient data
Data limitations: Proximity to a Superfund site boundary does not mean your property is contaminated. EPA site boundaries show the area designated for cleanup, not the full extent of contamination. Groundwater plumes can extend beyond site boundaries. This tool shows publicly available EPA federal data. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by EPA, and is not a substitute for a professional environmental assessment.
About this site's exposure pathways
As of May 2026, the Pierson’s Creek Superfund site is considered “Insufficient Data to make a Human Exposure evaluation” (HEID). This status does not necessarily mean that unacceptable exposures are occurring. Historic manufacturing at the Troy Chemical Corporation property and other past industrial activities released mercury to the environment, including discharges to Pierson’s Creek and upland spills that reached the creek. Actions to date have not addressed mercury contamination downstream, and available information is not yet sufficient to determine whether actual or reasonably anticipated human exposures are occurring above acceptable risk-based levels across all pathways and areas.
Planned activities to collect sufficient information include completing the Operable Unit (OU) 1 Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) for the creek and adjacent uplands where dredge spoils were sidecast, and continuing the OU2 RI/FS at the Troy Chemical property under a November 2017 Administrative Order on Consent (AOC). EPA will evaluate data through Human Health Risk Assessments (HHRAs) for each OU to assess exposure pathways such as contact with sediments and surface water, potential vapor intrusion in nearby buildings, contact with contaminated soils in adjacent uplands, and use of groundwater if applicable.
EPA currently anticipates there will be sufficient data to make a Human Exposure determination by September 2027 because the OU1 and OU2 RI/FS efforts and associated HHRAs will be completed by that time and EPA will have the information needed to select remedies for both OUs.
If you live or work near the site, you can reduce your exposure by avoiding contact with creek water and sediments near known contamination, not disturbing soils along the creek or sidecast spoil areas, and following any posted advisories. For more information, contact the EPA Community Involvement Coordinator Joel Waddell via the site webpage or at 212-637-3590 or [email protected]. EPA will continue to meet with residents and stakeholders, issue public notices and fact sheets, and keep the site profile on EPA’s website up to date.