No Further Action Remedy Proposed for State Superfund Site

Public Comment Period and Public Meeting Announced

The public is invited to comment on a no further action remedy proposed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) to address contamination related to the Techem site located at 1840 Falmouth Avenue in New Hyde Park.

The Proposed Remedy

The remedy proposed for the site includes “no further action with site management.”

Annual site inspections and deed restrictions would be used to minimize the potential for human exposure to subsurface soil and groundwater.

The proposed remedy is described in a draft cleanup plan called a “Proposed Remedial Action Plan” developed under New York’s State Superfund Program. The document is available for public review at the locations identified below under “Where to Find Information.” The document also is available on the NYSDEC website at http://www.dec.ny.gov /chemical/8431.html.

How to Comment

State Superfund Program: New York’s State Superfund Program (SSF) identifies and characterizes suspected inactive.

Public Meeting

Wednesday March 23, 2011

Hillside Public Library

155 Lakeville Road

New Hyde Park, 11040

NYSDEC will hold a public meeting to discuss the no further action remedy proposed for the site. Residents are encouraged to provide comments at the meeting, and during the 30-day comment period described in the fact sheet.

Summary of the Proposed Remedy

The proposed remedy represents the alternative preferred by NYSDEC and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) to address site contamination. The draft cleanup plan has several goals:

• identify cleanup levels to be achieved

• summarize other alternatives considered

• explain why NYSDEC and NYSDOH believe the proposed remedy will protect public health and the environment

• provide a detailed description of the proposed remedy.

The proposed remedy was chosen following a detailed investigation of the site and evaluation of alternatives to address contamination, called a “Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study.”

The primary site contaminants of concern are metals, including cadmium, copper, nickel, and cyanide, which are present in soil and groundwater at concentrations greater than the 6 NYCRR Part 375 Commercial Soil Cleanup Objectives (SCOs) and NYSDEC Class GA Groundwater.

Standards. Initial improvement work, officially known as an “interim remedial measure” (IRM), is conducted at a site when a source of contamination or exposure pathway (the way in which a person may contact contamination) can be effectively addressed without extensive investigation and evaluation. In February 2011 an IRM was conducted, in which an area of surface soil approximately 400 square feet by two feet thick was excavated and removed from the site. Because soil with the greatest risk for human exposure has been removed, the site no longer poses a significant threat to public health.

To address contaminated soil and groundwater below two feet, a Site Management Plan (SMP) will be required that would provide specific requirements for site development and use including annual site inspections. Deed restriction and annual certification would be used to minimize the potential for human exposure to subsurface soil. The deed restriction would reduce the potential for exposure to contaminated soil by requiring that NYSDEC be notified 30 days prior to commencement of proposed excavation activities and that such activities would be conducted in accordance with local, state, and federal requirements. The estimated cost to design, construct, and implement the proposed remedy is approximately $99,000.

Next Steps

NYSDEC will consider public comments as it finalizes the remedy for the site. The selected remedy will be described in a document called a “Record of Decision” that will explain why the remedy was selected and respond to public comments. This document will be made available to the public (see “Where to Find Information” below). Following the release of the Record of Decision, the institutional controls described above will be implemented.

Background

The site is listed as a Class “2”site in the State Registry of Inactive Hazardous Waste Sites (list of State Superfund sites). A Class 2 site represents a significant threat to public health or the environment; action is required.

The Techem facility consists of approximately 0.18 acres located in a mixed industrial and residential area of New Hyde Park. The facility formerly manufactured acid-based chromium, cadmium, cyanide, nickel, and zinc electroplating solutions from 1973 to 1994. Records indicate the site had many housekeeping problems, spills and improper handling of wastes. In 1992, soils within a sump were found to have elevated concentrations of cadmium, chromium, and lead. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted a site inventory in 1993 and found approximately 1,500 small containers in the building attic and laboratories, and about 1,250 drums in the outside storage area. In 1994 and 1995 the EPA removed and disposed of all hazardous chemicals that were stored at the site and excavated contaminated soils; however, all on-site soil contamination was not completely removed during the EPA action. The NYSDEC conducted a Preliminary Site Assessment in 1999 to evaluate the site which led to the initiation of a Remedial Investigation in 2007. The Remedial Investigation was delayed until 2009 due to legal issues related to site access, and was completed in 2010.

Where to Find Information

Project documents are available at the following location(s) to help the public to stay informed. These documents include the proposed cleanup plan for the site, called the “Proposed Remedial Action Plan.”

Hillside Public Library

155 Lakeview Road

New Hyde Park

355-7850

Monday-Friday 10 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.

Saturday 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

Sunday 12 – 3:45 p.m.

(Please note that at press time the library has not received the Proposed Remedial Action Plan, so call prior to going to view the plans.)

New Hyde Park Village Hall

1420 Jericho Turnpike

New Hyde Park

354-0022