The New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation has approved a cleanup plan for the toxins at the NuHart Superfund site on the corner of Franklin and Dupont streets.
A NuHart Suerfund community forum will take place on Monday, July 29, at 176 Java St. at 6:30 p.m. where the “decision of record” will be discussed.
North Brooklyn Neighbors have also hired two new technical advisors, Dr. Joseph Gardella and Dr. Alan Rabideau to consult the community on the Class II Superfund, a site where hazardous waste “represents a significant threat to public health.”
As much as 60,000 gallons of phthalates are underneath Franklin Street and the toxic plume has migrated west toward the Greenpoint Playground across the street with the flow of the water table.
A quick history of the NuHart site from DEC:
The site has been in used for various manufacturing and commercial purposes since 1887. It has been used for manufacturing, as an office, for storage, and for shipping and receiving. Prior to the late 1940s, the site and the surrounding lots were used as a boiler shop for Logan Ironworks, two stables, a gas and light fixture factory, a sheet metal works, a soap factory, a waterproofing factory, and a scrap metal facility. The subject property was developed for plastic manufacturing purposes in the late 1940s to early 1950s, and has remained relatively unchanged since that time. From 1983 to 2004, NuHart and Company made vinyl siding and sheeting at the site.
After 2004, NuHart vacated the on-site buildings. There are 12 underground storage tanks (USTs) located on the site. According to records, these tanks were emptied and closed. There are also two large aboveground silos on site. The Petroleum Bulk Storage (PBS) facility number is 2-608875, and the Chemical Bulk Storage (CBS)facility number is 2-000444. Liquid plasticizers stored included bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, bis(2-ethylhexyl)adipate, and palatinol 711P phthalate.