By Jeff Lipton
Both sites, the former Grove Cleaners site at 1270 and 1274 Peninsula Blvd. in Hewlett, which the state has been aware of since 1991, and the site at 525 to 535 Burnside Ave., which they recently found, have caused the contamination of groundwater, state officials said. But direct public exposure to groundwater contamination is not expected, they added, because drinking water available to residents in both communities is not affected by the sites.
Officials at the state Department of Environmental Conservation said both are inactive hazardous waste sites with a classification of 2 on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the worst, and both require action because of a significant threat to public health.
Dry cleaning establishments and gas stations are business operations that have left the most groundwater contaminants behind, said DEC spokesperson Bill Fonda.
In Hewlett, the state has conducted a remedial investigation and feasibility study, which is nearly completed, and is proposing to develop a remedial action plan for cleanup of the contaminated areas. Sometime next year, the DEC will hold a public comment period, inviting residents' input into the cleanup process, Fonda said.
The state Superfund Program, which includes the Oil Spill Responsive and Prevention program and the state's Voluntary Cleanup Program, has provided funding to cleanup the Hewlett site. Even though the program went broke in April 2001 and Gov. George Pataki has had a difficult time rallying support to revitalize the program, it would not impact the funding of the cleanup on Peninsula Boulevard, officials said. At Superfund sites, the state attempts to recoup the funding from potential responsible parties who can be traced to causing the hazardous waste situation, the DEC said.
The state determined that ground water, surface water and saturated soils at the Hewlett site are contaminated with Tetrachloroethylene, a hazardous waste, from past site operations at the dry cleaning facility. The facility was cited more than 10 years by the county health department for discharging hazardous wastes into a dry well via a storm drain at the rear of the building. Subsequent soil sample results determined groundwater contamination, and monitoring wells to determine the degree of contamination were installed. The owners took measures which diminished groundwater contamination at the source but did not completely eliminate it. The groundwater contamination has moved off the property site, the DEC said.
Fonda said the DEC and the state Department of Health will propose a cleanup plan they feel is the preferred choice and protective of human health and the environment.
At the Burnside Avenue site in Inwood, which houses tire and auto repair shops, the state is currently investigating the extent of the source of contamination. State officials said past site operations have contaminated groundwater with trichloro-ethene and dichloroethene, both hazardous materials, at concentrations well above their standards. Although drinking water will not be affected, DEC is examining any other possibilities of exposure, including the potential for direct contact with the soil by children who may then put their hands in their mouth, officials said. In addition, Fonda said health hazards may occur by breathing in the chemicals, particularly when dry cleaners are involved, such as the former Grove Cleaners.
The exposure routes are still being looked at, Fonda said. The site at Burnside Avenue is still in its investigative stages.
A preliminary site assessment has been conducted, concluding that the source of the contamination is located along the north side of Burnside Avenue, between Wheelock Avenue and Hoover Street, the DEC said.
If the state cannot determine who is responsible for the contamination, cleanup efforts may be more difficult because Superfund money is not available. The New York State Senate agreed on the governor's legislation to reform the Superfund program, providing $138 million each year for the Superfund and other hazardous materials cleanup programs, but the Assembly has shown reluctance. The programs would be funded half by the State General Fund and half by fees on industry.
The Superfund program had been financed through the 1986 Environmental Quality Bond Act, resulting in more than 800 sites across the state being cleaned up or receiving remediation funding. Funds from the 1986 bond were fully allocated as of March 31, 2001, leaving the program broke and unable to start cleanups of several hundred sites across the state.
The legislation would have maintained strict environmental and public health standards while requiring polluters to pay 100 percent of the cost of cleanup and imposing strict penalties if they refuse.
I think we have to prioritize these sites, first taking care of the ones that may have a harmful impact on our underground water supply, said Morris Kramer, an environmentalist from Atlantic Beach. Unless the one on Burnside Avenue leads into Jamaica Bay, it's not the highest priority.
But Elisa Hinken, an Inwood resident concerned about local environmental issues, said of the Burnside Avenue site, it's disgusting. The harmful impact of that could be long-range, going on for decades. I'm glad the DEC knows about it and is involved in it and, hopefully, it could be remedied.
