Niagara Falls property testing leads to discovery of an “unknown liquid” that emerged from the ground

A Niagara Falls family already fighting over industrial contamination near the former Love Canal neighborhood faced a new scare when an unknown liquid suddenly emerged from the ground during independent testing at their property.

WGRZ-TV reporter Nate Benson said the McKiernan family had hired a private engineering firm to conduct testing at their home near 99th Street after becoming frustrated with the pace of work by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, or DEC.

During the testing, crews were drilling a monitoring well when they encountered a gray, sludgy liquid that began coming out of the ground through the equipment. The crew immediately stopped working, while the Niagara Falls Fire Department and the DEC spill response team were called to the scene.

The discovery was alarming enough on its own, but the situation became more serious when family members and workers also reported a strong chemical-like odor around the property.

A Strange Liquid Appears During Drilling

Benson reported that the independent crew had drilled about 15 feet into the ground when the unusual substance appeared.

Daniel McKiernan described it as a “black, sludgy dark liquid” that began pushing through the boring equipment. He said the equipment operator immediately noticed an oily sheen and believed it could be connected to some type of spill.

The testing crew stopped the job rather than continuing to disturb the material.

Jocelyn McKiernan told Benson that the family had paid for the private testing because they wanted more information about contamination they already believed was present on the property.

“They were putting in a monitoring well and they stumbled upon this silver running liquid coming out of the ground,” she said.

McKiernan said no one knew what the substance was, which prompted the family to contact emergency responders and environmental officials.

“It has a horrible chemical odor,” she said. “It’s making everyone feel unwell.”

That uncertainty is what makes the discovery especially troubling. Finding an unusual liquid underground is one problem, but finding it at a property already involved in a contamination dispute naturally raises much larger questions about what else may be below the surface.

Family Reports Fumes Inside the Home

According to Benson, the strange odor was not limited to the drilling area.

The family also reported a similar smell coming from the sump pump inside the house, along with what appeared to be a burnt-orange coloration.

Daniel McKiernan was checked by the Niagara Falls Fire Department after the incident and was later taken to Erie County Medical Center.

Benson reported that he received a decontamination shower because medical staff did not know what substance he may have been exposed to.

That detail illustrates just how uncertain the situation remained in the immediate aftermath. No one was yet saying the material was toxic, but responders were treating the possibility of exposure seriously enough to take precautions.

Jocelyn McKiernan said the family had deliberately kept their children away from the home while testing was underway because they did not want them exposed to whatever might be disturbed.

Speaking to a DEC official at the property, she pointed out that children lived nearby as well.

“There’s little kids playing right there, 10 feet away,” McKiernan said. “What more do you guys need to find here?”

Initial Air Tests Find No Volatile Organic Compounds

The DEC later arrived at the home with one of its contractors and conducted additional testing.

Benson reported that contractor LaBella did not detect airborne volatile organic compounds around the property during testing that afternoon.

That result offered at least one piece of reassurance, but it did not identify the substance that had emerged from the ground.

Samples of the soil and water were collected and sent for laboratory analysis, meaning the family did not immediately receive an answer about exactly what had been discovered.

This is an important distinction because a clean airborne reading does not explain what was in the liquid itself. For the family, the central question remained unchanged: what had come out of the ground, and whether it posed a longer-term risk.

Daniel McKiernan said the family had moved beyond simple fear after months of concern.

“We are well past fear at this point because we know what’s here,” he said. “Fear is out the window. Anger is active.”

Disagreement With the DEC Over Testing

The discovery comes amid an ongoing dispute between the McKiernan family and state environmental officials over how the property should be investigated and cleaned up.

The DEC told WGRZ that the safety and well-being of the family remained a priority and said the agency had developed a plan to fully investigate and remediate the property.

According to the agency, however, the family had not yet approved that plan and instead hired an independent contractor.

The DEC said it could not control or guarantee the quality of work performed by a private firm and argued that disturbing the material before the state investigation was inconsistent with recommendations intended to reduce possible exposure.

The McKiernans have a different view.

They said the independent testing had been scheduled weeks earlier because they believed the state’s process was moving too slowly.

The family also said the DEC provided a lengthy testing plan very shortly before the private work was set to begin, although the agency disputed that timeline.

A DEC spokesperson said the plan had been sent electronically on Sept. 8 and hand-delivered to Daniel McKiernan the following morning. The agency also disputed claims regarding whether staff had previously been told about the family’s decision to hire its own testing firm.

The disagreement shows how quickly environmental cases can become tangled in procedure. The family wants answers as fast as possible, while the state says testing has to follow a controlled process, and both sides appear to believe the other has slowed or complicated that effort.

Home Sits Near Former Love Canal Neighborhood

Benson has previously reported that the McKiernan property is only a few hundred feet from the former Love Canal neighborhood, an area whose history has made any new discovery of industrial waste particularly sensitive for nearby residents.

The family has spent months trying to get answers from the DEC and the state Department of Health over contamination found on their property.

Jocelyn McKiernan said the latest incident should push officials to take their concerns more seriously.

“I would hope that this finally opens the DEC’s eyes,” she said. “They’ve been minimizing this, and it’s very frustrating trying to protect your family.”

She added that protecting their children remains the family’s main concern.

For residents living in an area already associated with a long history of environmental fears, even an unidentified substance is likely to cause anxiety until testing clearly establishes what it is.

Officials Pressed for Faster Action

Benson also reported that the office of Congressman Tim Kennedy had contacted Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office in an effort to speed up the relocation of the McKiernan family.

At the time of the report, there had been no confirmation that the effort had resulted in relocation.

Kennedy has also raised broader concerns about ongoing radiological testing in Niagara and Erie counties, saying the response from state and federal agencies has not done enough to answer residents who are worried about the safety of their homes.

The congressman has called on the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers to provide more details about their investigations.

For the McKiernan family, however, the immediate concern remains what was uncovered in their own yard.

The initial air testing did not detect volatile organic compounds, but laboratory testing of the liquid, soil and water remained necessary to determine what the substance actually was.

Until those results are available, Benson’s report leaves the family in much the same position they have been in for months: waiting for a clear explanation of what is beneath their property and what, if anything, must be done to make the home safe.