ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Exxon Mobil has agreed to investigate chemical contamination at a Rochester site used as an oil refinery in the late 1800s, a site that the city wants to revitalize.
The state’s Department of Environmental Conservation announced on Tuesday that it reached an order of consent with the gas company. The predecessor to Exxon Mobil, called Vacuum Oil Company, had used the Rochester site for petroleum refining, blending operations, and storage from 1866 through the early 1890s.
The site is east of Exchange Street and north and south of Flint Street, according to the city’s website. After the early 1890s, the site was used to distill crude petroleum and produce petroleum products. It closed in 1935.
The DEC says the cleanup of the site is critical for the city’s plans to build a new riverwalk along the Genesee River. The order requires ExxonMobil to investigate the extent of contamination at the site’s areas that aren’t already being addressed under the Brownfield Cleanup Program. In addition, Exxon Mobil has agreed to pay $250,000 to reimburse the state for previous cleanup efforts at the refinery site.
The DEC will oversee the investigation. According to the DEC, the Vacuum Oil Company used the site to create crude oil, kerosene, naphtha, finished lubricants, and containers, which contaminated the area and groundwater. Most of the structures at the site have been demolished and removed.
In a statement, Mayor Malik Evans said the project will “return prime riverfront real estate” to people in the Plymouth-Exchange neighborhood. He also said the project will “restore a healthy connection to the river and nature.”
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