Curious about the progress of the NuHart site cleanup and demolition?
Last week, North Brooklyn Neighbors, Assembly Member Emily Gallagher, Council Member Lincoln Restler, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the New York State Department of Health, the New York City Office of Environmental Remediation, Brooklyn Community Board 1, and Madison Realty Capital (which now officially has control of the property) co-hosted another virtual community meeting for neighbors and local elected officials to discuss updates specifically on the eastern portion of the cleanup site, which has been dubbed the “Brownfield” portion as part of New York’s Brownfield Cleanup Program.
As of now, the NuHart East section (which consists of the non-Superfund buildings) is in the midst of a public comment period in which community members can share commentary on the proposed work with Bryan Wong, the project manager at NYSDEC (yukyin.wong@dec.ny.gov, 718-482-4905).
Summaries of said proposals are available in English, Español, and Polish. Following an approved extension on the period, comments will be accepted until August 23, 2022.
The remediation plan includes, but is not limited to, removal of underground storage tanks and piping, excavation and disposal of contaminated soil, the dewatering of groundwater (which has been found to have traces of phthalates) accumulated during the excavation process, and continued collection and analysis of soil samples to evaluate the success of the project. This is meant to address contaminants of concern including petroleum, semi-volatile organic compounds and metals associated with historic fill, and chlorinated volatile organic compounds (such as TCE) ahead of the proposed future redevelopment of a five-story residential building.
After compiling and considering commentary, NYSDEC will revisit the work plan and make potential revisions before delivering a final document to the Department of Health, which must sign off before any work can begin. The projected goal to start the remediation process is this fall.
Neighbors also discussed parking, potential infractions, and updates on air quality monitoring. As of last Friday, the installation of the fence and sidewalk bridge for Phase 2 of the Superfund site demolition was completed, as well as processing and decontamination of interior equipment under the RCRA closure plan.
Watch the full meeting below.
