Elmira High School contamination cleanup

Elmira, New York – After contamination was found below-ground on portions of the Elmira High School, New York state officials were in Elmira to discuss contamination cleanup efforts.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Health is overseeing a thorough cleanup of contamination found on the Elmira High School property.

According to officials, Elmira High School was built on land that had been used for heavy industry for more than 100 years. This invisible threat had caused serious health problems for students in the past.

The community was invited at Elmira High School to come in and ask the officials any questions on the completed work and what plans they had for the future while they were showcasing their clean-up projects thus far.

“We’ve been working very collaboratively with the district and with Unisys to do a comprehensive cleanup… We’ve been adapting that clean-up as we need to, to make sure that we are being protective of the students and the community,” said Timothy Walsh, DEC Region 8 Director.

According to officials, this past year the main focus was digging up contaminated soil from the football field. Remediation on the field was just finished in August, and they are set to move on to the north athletic field around mid-October, officials said.

According to Walsh, they are aiming to get all projects done by 2025.