New York state and federal officials have filed a lawsuit against the owners of Harbourview Shoppes, alleging the Roslyn shopping center has been illegally discharging pollutants into Hempstead Harbor in violation of environmental laws.
The civil complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, names Harbourview Realty LLC, MRL Realty Corp. and Mary Hauptman as owners/or operators of the 34,000-square-foot shopping center on Old Northern Boulevard in the Village of Roslyn.
Efforts to reach Hauptman were unavailing.
The lawsuit was brought jointly by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the New York State attorney general and the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency.
State officials allege the shopping center’s on-site French drain system has an “illicit pipe connection” to a separate Nassau County-operated municipal storm sewer system, which then connects to a second system operated by the Village of Roslyn and ultimately discharges into Hempstead Harbor.
According to the DEC investigation, the drainage system captures grease, oils, foam, suds, fecal coliform bacteria and contaminated surface runoff from the property and pumps it into the storm sewer network without a required permit from the state’s Discharge Elimination System or coverage under a general permit.
“DEC is committed to holding polluters accountable,” DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said in a statement. “The facility’s ongoing noncompliance with environmental law required immediate action to protect local residents and the environment.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James said the alleged discharges have put local communities at risk.
“Clean water is a basic right for every New Yorker,” James said. “For too long, Harbourview Shoppes has polluted Hempstead Bay with illegal discharge, putting families and communities in Roslyn at risk and violating our environmental laws.”
The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief to immediately stop the alleged illegal discharges and require the defendants to disconnect all illicit connections. Authorities are also seeking civil penalties of up to $68,445 per day for violations of the federal Clean Water Act and up to $37,500 per day under state law.
According to the complaint, the DEC began investigating after receiving a citizen complaint in March 2023 about continuous flooding in the shopping center’s underground garage that was being discharged into a county catch basin.
Investigators allege contractors hired by or on behalf of the defendants pumped contaminated water, wastewater and other material from indoor basins, wells, grease traps and manholes, which ultimately flowed into Hempstead Harbor.
Harbourview Shoppes, which describes itself on its website as an upscale shopping center, includes restaurants, a spa and a car rental service.
State officials said the DEC will continue monitoring the facility and collecting data during the legal process.
