ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Upstate New York’s warm weather is here. Communities are out and about, and in many communities around the state, including Rochester, there are brownfield sites. This article provides an overview of what brownfields are and how they impact the local community, including examples of local environmental cleanup sites.
What to know about brownfields
There are different definitions of what brownfields are.
According to the U.S, Environmental Protection Agency, “A brownfield is a property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.”
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) describes brownfield sites as “any real property where a contaminant is present at levels exceeding the soil cleanup objectives or other health-based or environmental standards, criteria or guidance adopted by DEC that are applicable based on the reasonably anticipated use of the property.”
The City of Rochester describes brownfields as “a general term that describes sites with actual or perceived impediments to redevelopment.”
News10NBC dug for more information about brownfields with the DEC.
“Some people can look at a property that has been abandoned, right? Might be like back taxes; nobody’s there. and we call that a brownfield site,” said Andrew Guglielmi, director of the Division of Environmental Remediation at DEC.
It’s important to note that brownfields aren’t as dangerous as other sites, typically. Some brownfield cases aren’t even dangerous, but it’s case by case.
“It’s a site that had some previous amount of industrial activity, typically. Doesn’t mean it’s necessarily contaminated. Doesn’t mean it’s significantly contaminated that it would need to be a Superfund site. But it means that somebody’s interested in buying property, in redeveloping that property, they should do work in investigating whether or not there’s environmental contamination on the property,” Guglielmi added.
The DEC says Superfund sites, unlike brownfield sites, are “suspected hazardous waste disposal sites.” The DEC has a State Superfund Site Program (SSF), aiming to identify, characterize, and address the suspected waste sites that “pose a significant threat to public health or the environment.”
The Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP) aims to encourage private-sector cleanups of brownfields, including promoting redevelopment of an area to assist economically damaged communities.
More on NYS Brownfield Cleanup and State Superfund Programs:
brownfieldsuperfundfactsheetDownloadAspects of brownfields
Brownfields can be places like former or current gas stations or dry cleaners, and potentially, older landfills.
“We have sites in our program that are former gas stations, right. That had maybe tanks that leaked over the years, or they were gas stations for many, many, many decades. The Brownfield Cleanup Program allows us to clean up those petroleum-contaminated sites. There could be again, former industrial sites, dry cleaners,” Guglielmi mentioned.
“We don’t have a lot of landfills that are brownfield sites, but we do,” Guglielmi said.
There are many kinds of these sites across New York and throughout the U.S. Guglielmi says brownfield sites are common. “They can be found in rural areas. They can be in urban areas. But, I would say by-and-large, there’s well more brownfield sites in urban areas than in rural areas. So, think of the major upstate cities, you know, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, and then downstate,” Guglielmi added.
He also said 2,000 sites have been cleaned up across the state through the state’s Superfund and brownfield programs.
What materials are associated with brownfields?
Examples of hazardous brownfield materials include, but are not limited to, heavy metals such as lead, asbestos, and chlorinated solvents that can contaminate the ground, water, and/or air.
“Heavy metals, definitely,” Guglielmi said. “There’s fill that’s present. Historically been placed to build up our cities, again, in Upstate New York, and downstate for that matter, that can contain lead, arsenic,” Guglielmi added.
He said industrial solvents have also been found. These chemicals can come from dry cleaners and metal fabricators.
“There are areas of the state where we have to worry about, you know, private water in relation to our sites,” Guglielmi explained.
Alternate water would be provided by the DEC, if need be, in circumstances of contamination.
He also says indoor air contamination from the industrial chemicals also plays a factor, “The other thing that we are concerned about, and with the department of health, is if there’s any indoor air contamination from these solvents being underground that could infiltrate into a building,” Guglielmi said.
The DEC works with the New York State Department of Health to set levels of the site’s danger.
How brownfields are first addressed
“We’ll look at whatever data our environmental consultant may’ve collected at a particular piece of property, we’ll compare it to those standards to see, yes, you know what, this is a site that is eligible for our brownfield program,” Guglielmi explained.
“If we find that something’s contaminated, that’s a good thing because we can then clean it up.”
He said it’s best to let the DEC know where contamination is found. Click here to report environmental concerns on the DEC’s website.
Notable environmental cleanup sites in Rochester
The City of Rochester’s Office of Environmental Remediation (OER) works with the DEC to assist with remediation and redevelopment projects.
Common sites in the Rochester area that’ve been investigated include gas stations and storage tanks, landfills and waste, dry cleaners, machine shops, scrap yards, car mechanics, and manufacturing sites.
Below are some prominent areas that are subject to assessments, investigations, and cleanups.
68-92 Genesee St.
Two buildings make up this site, which is less than one acre. One is a former commercial dry cleaner and is currently vacant, and the other is a commercial coin-op laundromat.
This site is the subject of an ongoing investigation into soil and groundwater contamination. It has a “P” classification on the DEC’s website, which means it may be contaminated but needs an investigation.
WorkArea-linkit.aspx-LinkIdentifier-id-ItemID-8589959349-libID-8589959336 (1)DownloadThe city says, “The Site, in its current state, poses an immediate threat to the health and safety to the community members that live, work and frequent nearby businesses.”
Concerns at the site include:
Possible petroleum contamination. Possible hazardous materials impacting the soil and groundwater, including chlorinated solvents, lead, asbestos, and other contamination from building materials and fluorescent light ballasts. Toxic mold contamination and animal waste.More information on 68-92 Genesee St. is found here.
Genesee Riverway
A portion of the Genesee Riverway Trail has been closed because of an investigation into nearby remnants of a former vacuum oil refinery facility and other abandoned structures. The city says a portion of the walking and biking paths has been closed until further notice, and detours are in place.
The site, owned by the city, is about 15 acres and is located south of Flint Street and east of Exchange Street, near the Genesee River. Right-of-way parking on Flint Street, east of Exchange Street, is restricted from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The city is working to cover the area with clean materials and remove contaminated soil. “The import and staging of clean cover and backfill material are currently underway to expedite site restoration once contaminated source soils start being removed, which is anticipated to begin in mid to late July,” according to the city.
The city also says the cleanup project may be completed by the end of 2026; however, environmental agency approval, weather, and construction delays are possible. Once the DEC gives a certification of completion, the city will begin another restoration project, leading to the closure of nearby trails.
It’s part of the Vacuum Oil Brownfield Opportunity Area 2035 vision plan.
More information and images of the Genesee River cleanup can be found here and here.
A section of the Former Emerson Street Landfill
A section of a former landfill off of Emerson Street, about 15.7 acres, near Lexington Avenue, Lee Road, and Ferrano and Colfax streets, is listed in the DEC’s State Superfund Program. The size of the former landfill itself is approximately 230 acres, according to the DEC.
The city also says the landfill was originally investigated in the 1980s by the DEC. Investigators found petroleum, metals, chlorinated solvents, and 100 cubic feet of radioactive waste sludge on the southern portion of the site.
Now, the area has been taken over mostly for commercial and industrial uses. The city said an investigation and cleanup have been completed for most of the site. It’s considered a “Class 3” site, which, according to the DEC, means it “Does not present a significant threat to the environment or public health – action may be deferred.” However, at 1700 Emerson St., the city is investigating the following:
Possible chlorinated contamination in the soil, waste fill, bedrock, and groundwater.More information and images of the cleanup on Emerson Street can be found here.
For the full list of cleanup sites in Rochester, visit the City of Rochester’s OER page here.
RELATED:
Brighton Central School District seeks community input on contaminated field solutions (June 2026) Brighton athletic field project halted after contractors find hazardous materials in soil (March 2026) Good Question: As crews clean up Rochester’s old refinery, where will the contaminated dirt go? (December 2025) Exxon Mobil agrees to investigate contamination at Rochester site once used as oil refinery (December 2025)What are Brownfields? WHEC.com.
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