Cleanup to begin at Oceanside Smart Set Cleaners site

This overhead view shows the underground plume of pollution, known as the “hot zone,” and the proposed new wells (in purple) to be dug in order to inject chemical in and extract pollution.(Courtesy NYSDEC)

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is about to being cleanup of the Smart Set Dry Cleaners Superfund site in Oceanside, currently the site of a nail salon. The site is listed as Class 2 by the DEC, which means it represents a significant threat to public health or the environment.

The dry-cleaner operated at 16 Atlantic Ave. from the mid-1950s to 2005. A routine inspection of the facility by the Nassau County Department of Health in the mid-1990s revealed the existence of interior floor drains, which were considered injection wells by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In 1998, a groundwater sample collected from a floor drain detected the presence of the dry-cleaning solvent tetrachloroethylene, also known as PCE.

The Health Department, in conjunction with the EPA, investigated the source of the contamination, and in 2001, the owner of the business removed contaminated soil. The owner’s environmental consultant, with oversight by the Health Department, undertook another investigation that was completed in May 2001. Based on the results, the owner installed a soil vapor extraction system, which is still in operation, and reports on its performance are submitted quarterly.

The site was added to the New York State Registry of Inactive Hazardous Waste Disposal Sites in November 2008.

Great Lincoln LLC will perform the cleanup, with oversight provided by the DEC. It will include a groundwater oxidation program, vapor monitoring and extraction, an onsite cover, and management of soil vapors. The groundwater program will break down contaminants in a 25,000-square-foot area where dry-cleaning-related compounds were found, and groundwater will be monitored for contamination on the property and outside the active treatment area.

In addition, 14 new groundwater-monitoring wells will be installed along Atlantic Avenue, which will require the closure of one lane of traffic. Wells will also be installed on Court Street and Bayview Court. No road closures will occur as a result of that phase of work.

After completion of the cleanup activities, Great Lincoln will prepare a final engineering report which will describe the cleanup activities and certify that cleanup requirements have been or will be achieved.

Additional information is can be found at http://on.ny.gov/1WWeQFr. Project documents are available at the Oceanside Library.