(New York, NY) The E.P.A. today announced its suggested project to clean up an area of contaminated ground water within the New Cassel/Hicksville Ground Water Contamination Superfund location in the towns of Hempstead, North Hempstead and Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York. Ground water throughout these areas is contaminated with harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are often found in paint, solvents, aerosol sprays, cleaners, disinfectants, automotive products and dry cleaning fluids. Repeated and direct exposure to VOCs can cause serious health effects.
The Magothy aquifer, Nassau County's primary source of drinking water, has been contaminated by the VOCs. This contaminated water is currently being treated before it is provided to area residents. The water supply is monitored regularly to ensure the water quality meets federal and state drinking water standards.
"Residents of Long Island rely on ground water as their source of drinking water, making it imperative that Long Island's drinking water is protected from contamination," said E.P.A. Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. "Ensuring that people have a safe source of drinking water is a top E.P.A. priority. The public is encouraged to review on the suggested cleanup plan."
Because of the nature and complexity of the contamination at the site, the E.P.A. is dividing the investigation and cleanup into phases. The project announced today is the 1st E.P.A. phase of the cleanup and specifically addresses one portion of the site. The E.P.A. will hold a public meeting on August 15 at the Community Center, 141 Garden Street, Westbury, New York 11590 to explain the plan. Public comments will be received until on August 26, 2013.
Ground water testing by the E.P.A. in 2010 confirmed the presence of elevated levels of VOCs in ground water feeding eleven public water supply wells, 6 in Hicksville, 4 in Hempstead and one in Westbury. Based on past water quality monitoring results, public water supply companies installed treatment systems that remove VOCs from the contaminated ground water. The location was added to the federal Superfund list of contaminated hazardous waste sites in 2011.
The suggested cleanup project includes construction of a treatment plant to extract and treat ground water contaminated with VOCs above a specific level. If used to full capacity, the system will treat up to 500,000 gallons per day. In some areas, a vapor stripper that forces air through polluted ground water to remove harmful chemicals will be used on individual wells. The air causes the chemicals to change from a liquid to a gas, which is then collected and cleaned. In the most heavily contaminated areas, the ground water will be treated using a treatment process such as chemical oxidation, which uses chemicals to destroy pollution in ground water, breaking down the harmful chemicals into water and carbon dioxide. The oxidants are pumped into the ground water at different depths in the polluted area. Each injection is followed by monitoring to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment. Samples of the ground water will be collected and analyzed to ensure that the technology is fully effective.
The E.P.A. will require periodic collection and analysis of ground water samples to verify that the levels and extent of contaminants are declining. The E.P.A. will conduct a review every 5 years to ensure the effectiveness of the cleanup.
The Superfund plan operates on the principle that polluters should pay for the cleanups, rather than passing the costs to taxpayers. After sites are placed on the Superfund list of the most contaminated waste sites, the E.P.A. searches for parties legally responsible for the contamination and looks for to hold them accountable for the costs of investigations and cleanups. The E.P.A. will require that the cleanup be carried out and paid for by those responsible for the contamination at the site.
In addition to the public meeting to explain the project and gain comments, people may submit written comments by mail or email:
Jennifer L. LaPoma
Remedial Plan Manager Western New York Remediation Section
E.P.A.
290 Broadway, 20th Floor
New York, New York 10007-1866
(212) 637-4328
[email protected]
To review the project for the New Cassel/Hicksville Ground Water Contamination Superfund site, please visit:
http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/npl/newcassel/index.html
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