DEC planning cleanup at former industrial site

An industrial parts company that used to operate in Valley Stream is working with the Department of Environmental Conservation to address chemical contamination at its former site on East Mineola Avenue.

The contamination site is about 1,500 feet west of Greis Park at 100 E. Mineola Ave., and used to be occupied by Sid Harvey Industries — a wholesale refrigeration, air conditioning and heating parts supplier.

The company enrolled in New York’s Voluntary Cleanup Program in 1998, which was developed to encourage private sector volunteers to investigate and clean up contaminated properties so that they could be redeveloped for commercial, industrial, residential or public use. As per the program, Sid Harvey Industries is responsible for all costs of the cleanup. The DEC conducted an investigation, and has published reports of its findings at each stage of the process. A final decision outlining the future of the cleanup process at the property is to be issued “very shortly,” which will then allow the work to begin.

The investigation found that both the soil and groundwater were contaminated with two chemical variations of what is commonly referred to as “dry-cleaning fluid,” according to Robert Decandia, of the Division of Environmental Remediation. He said the chemicals, tetrachloroethene and trichloroethane, are commonly used to remove grease from parts, which was likely their purpose when Sid Harvey Industries occupied the property.

The company moved its Valley Stream branch to Andrews, South Carolina several years ago. The site is currently occupied by an event decorating business. A representative from the business declined to comment on any impact the environmental cleanup may have on its operations.

Two machines have been installed at the site that will work in concert to inject air into the ground and vacuum out the contaminants that are released. The process isn’t expected to interfere with the surrounding neighborhood, according to Kevin O. Frazier, a public information officer with the DEC. “The majority of the proposed work is on site and will not have off-site impacts,” he said.

The DEC’s records indicate that there should be no negative impact to the surrounding residential area. “The site is mostly covered by buildings and pavement, so the public is not expected to come in contact with contaminated soils unless excavation occurs on the site,” the site report reads. “Drinking contaminated groundwater is not likely since public water serves the area and there are no known users of well water nearby.”