State DEC to investigate extent of Hewlett plume

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation will oversee the investigation to define the extent of contamination in the soil, surface water and groundwater of the federal superfund site at 1345 Peninsula Blvd. in Hewlett.

A superfund site is a program designed to fund the cleanup of properties contaminated with hazardous substances and pollutants. The Hewlett plume was first uncovered in 1991 by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The area near Woodmere Middle School is contaminated with carcinogenic chemicals tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene.

Grove Cleaners, at 174 Peninsula Blvd. in Hewlett, operated from 1987 to 1992. The contaminants leached into the groundwater located under Peninsula Boulevard. PCE is a contaminant often associated with dry cleaning operations. In 2004, the site was listed on the EPA’s superfund list. The project began in 2011 when the EPA pumped the polluted groundwater to the surface to be treated; that phase cost $21.5 million. In September of 2017, the EPA announced phase two, which is expected to cost $24.7 million.

The state Department of Health’s Public Information Officer Jeffrey Hammond said that people are not at risk. “There are no immediate public health concerns at the American Drive-in Cleaners in Hewlett,” he said. “The state’s initial investigation indicates they are currently disposing of PCE as required and that contaminants found in the site’s soil are below the surface and completely covered by pavement or concrete, creating a barrier to potential onsite exposures.”

The investigation is expected to begin on July 22. The DEC it will include the collecting of soil vapor samples, the sampling of groundwater wells to monitor impacts from areas of concern both on-site and off-site, conducting a groundwater flow survey to confirm plume direction.

“The groundwater investigation will include collection of samples from ten existing on-site and down gradient monitoring wells which will be analyzed for volatile organic compounds and emerging contaminants,” DEC Public Information Officer Kevin Frazier said. “The soil vapor data may also be useful in determining where groundwater impacts may be present.”

There will be a report, then a feasibility study will be conducted to develop potential clean up methods. “If the initial investigation results indicate the nature and extent, the contamination has not been adequately defined, the state will require additional groundwater or soil vapor sampling,” Frazier said.

He added that the investigation is expected to last “several weeks” and no cost has been finalized. When the work is completed, public comments will be taken for the proposed cleanup plan.

“The last I heard of this, the EPA held a meeting two years ago (June 2017) saying that they were doing testing at the site,” Hewlett-Woodmere Business Association President David Friedman said. “This process has been ongoing for years.”

Project-related questions can be sent to Project Manager Matt Mashhadi, DEC, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-7015 or at Matthew.Mashhadi@epa.gov. Health-related questions can be sent to Steven Karpinski at New York State Department of Health, Corning Tower, Albany, NY 12237 or via email at: beei@health.ny.gov.

Have an opinion on the Hewlett plume? Send your letter to the editor to jbessen@liherald.com.