EPA Considering Remediation Plans For Roosevelt Field Plume

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that it will hold a public meeting on September 10th at 7 p.m. the Garden City Library to hear comments on a proposed remediation plan for contaminated ground water west of Garden City Plaza in Roosevelt Field.

According to the EPA, it has concluded a remedial investigation / feasibility study of the site to determine the extent of the contamination and to evaluate alternatives in cleaning up the groundwater. It is thought that the groundwater was contaminated many decades ago when the area was used as an airfield.

The EPA says that it would like to extract the portion of the pollution "plume" that contains high levels of tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE) without impacting Garden City's wells on Clinton Road. In addition, the EPA would like to evaluate the air strippers that are currently in place at the wells to remove hydrocarbons from the water.

According to the EPA's public notice about the event (which can be found with the legal notices in the second section of this issue of the Garden City News), the EPA also would like to put into place a contingency plan if for any reason the wells are shut down or have reduced rates of pumpage.

The EPA has placed documents on file at the Garden City Library and will be accepting public comments between August 22nd and September 20th. More information can also be obtained from Ceclia Echols, EPA's Community Involvement Specialist at (212) 637-3678.

Written comments may be made to Caroline Kwan, Project Manager, US Environmental Protection Agency, 290 Broadway, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10007 or by email to kwan.caroline@epa.gov