A Syracuse law firm is suing the state, the City of Geneva and Ontario County for failing to warn neighbors of the old Geneva Foundry that their land was contaminated with lead and arsenic.
Hundreds of properties surrounding the foundry site were contaminated from 1868 until the business was abandoned in 1988. The suit filed on behalf of 136 residents claims authorities have known about the contamination since then, but they were only told about it last year.
The state is proposing to dig out the two feet of soil from the surrounding properties to clean up the problem. They say they were only able to pinpoint the contamination when newer technology became available in 2015.