By ARIELLA MONTI
"During the supplemental remedial investigation, ground water samples collected from three of the temporary vertical profile wells were found to have detectable concentrations of tetrachloroethene (PCE), and trichloroethene (TCE)," said Matthew Whalen, vice president of development for AvalonBay Communities. PCE is more commonly known as the dry cleaning chemical perc and TCE is a solvent used for cleaning metal machine parts.
P.W. Grosser, the environmental consulting firm working for AvalonBay, collected ground water samples from the southwest corner of the property from depths ranging from 60 to 100 feet.
The clay layer was thought to be a good barrier between the contaminated soil and the ground water and further testing will be needed to determine why the contaminates permeated the clay. "It is still believed that the shallow clay layer prevented significant vertical migration of the ground water contaminates," said Whalen.
According to Lori Severino, a spokeswoman for the New York State Department of Environmental Conversation (DEC), "Once the supplemental remedial investigation is completed, a final remedial action work plan (RAWP) will be developed as planned which addresses the ground water impact below the clay."
Severino added that village residents will not be directly impacted by the contamination. "The concern with such contamination is when there is a nearby public drinking water supply well which could be impacted by the plume. There are no nearby PWS wells."
AvalonBay is awaiting permit approvals from the DEC and the Village of Rockville Centre before starting a dewatering process, which will remove contaminated soil and water from the area and return treated water to Mill River.
According to Village Administrator Frank Quigley, this is a new development that the village only recently learned of and village officials are working with the DEC to ensure a complete and successful remediation.
"The village is in communication with the DEC so that we can learn from the DEC what their direction is and what their solution is for this new problem and how that relates overall to the remediation effort," said Quigley.
