DEC finds new toxins at remediated manufactured gas site in Sag Harbor

Tests on a contamination-laden parcel of land in Sag Harbor that had been reclassified to a safer level by the state after remediation 10 years ago have revealed a new soup of toxins in groundwater and even indoor air, according to a state report released Wednesday.

The site, on which sits a home and a commercial building with a wellness center, was once the center of manufactured gas operations for the former Long Island Lighting Co. National Grid inherited the 1-acre site when it acquired KeySpan in 2007.

According to a report from the state Department of Environment Conservation, which oversaw the voluntary cleanup by National Grid, the site has turned up volatile organic compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in subsurface soils “above applicable soil cleanup objectives.” Those toxins are present at depths up to 15 feet below grade, primarily at the northern portion of 11 Bridge St., which houses the commercial building.

Tests reported by the state also found concentrations of VOCs, PAHs, and perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS or "forever chemicals," “above groundwater standards for the compounds.” Higher concentrations of VOC- and PAH-impacted groundwater were “observed at the northern portion of the 11 Bridge St. property, while PFAS impacted groundwater was observed across the entire footprint of the site.”

The state also reported that “several VOC constituents associated with former manufactured gas plant operations and chlorinated solvents were detected in soil vapor and indoor air at the site.” Calls to a business owner at 11 Bridge St. weren't immediately returned. 

DEC in a statement it and the Health Department “have been and will continue to oversee the further cleanup actions for the … site to ensure that the work is fully protective of public health and the environment, and that any potential exposure to contamination is eliminated.”

The DEC in its notice said it will present a draft cleanup plan to the public during a 45-day “review and comment” period and that it will “keep the public informed throughout the investigation and cleanup of the site.”

National Grid in a statement said it has "fully complied with all requests and determinations from the DEC and remains committed to working collaboratively with the agency going forward.”

Manufactured gas was made at the site by boiling coal in a liquid fuel, with the gas stored in large tanks. The operations took place more than 100 years ago, but toxins remained until the 2008 remediation. The site also previously housed a lumber yard that sold coal.

When the remediation was completed in 2016, the DEC allowed the site to be reclassified to a safer level because, it said, the site “no longer presents a significant threat to public health … and the environment.”

That classification came despite repeated reports by residents of slick-laden puddles in and around the site after heavy rainfall, and the fact that the $50 million cleanup plan removed only the top 10 feet of impacted soil on-site, while toxic material remained to a depth of 90 feet. Some 14,000 cubic yards of coal-tar-laden soil were removed during the remediation, which started in 2008, and millions of gallons of water were filtered and pumped from the site.

Despite reclassifying the site as safer, the DEC in 2016 still required buildings near the site be evaluated for “the potential for vapor intrusion.” There were also limits placed on the use of groundwater at the site, and residents were prohibited from growing vegetables on it, among other restrictions. A home at 7 Bridge St. is also part of the DEC’s new cleanup plan.

A report about the site from National Grid’s cleanup contractor in 2016 noted that at the main former manufactured gas plant site at 5 Bridge St., "contaminated soil is present at a depth of 10 feet below ground surface to a potential depth of 60 feet below ground surface," while "residual groundwater above NYSDEC Class GA Groundwater is present throughout the 5 Bridge Street property," now the site of a municipal parking lot, Newsday reported.

By Mark Harrington

mark.harrington@newsday.comMHarringtonNews

Mark Harrington, a Newsday reporter since 1999, covers energy, wineries, Indian affairs and fisheries.