Environmental Remediation Databases Details

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Site Record

Document Repository

Administrative Information

Location

Institutional And Engineering Controls

Site Owner(s) and Operator(s)

Site Document Repository

Site Description

Location: The site is located at 45 Commercial Street in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn (Tax Block 2472, Lot 70). There is a parcel under construction to the north, followed by Newtown Creek, a parking lot to the east, Commercial Street to the south, and multi-story commercial/ residential building to the west. Site Features: The site is approximately 44,600 square feet, flat, and is paved with concrete and asphalt. Current Zoning and Land Use: The site is located in an R6/R8/C2-4 mixed-use residential and commercial district. The site is currently vacant. Past Use of the Site: Coal and lumber storage were the primary uses of the property from the late 1800s until about 1980. Since then, the site has been used for parking and equipment & material storage. Site Geology and Hydrogeology: The site consists of a surficial layer of historic fill material overlying native fine- to coarse-grained sandy soil and silty soil. The historic fill is composed of varying amounts of sand and silt from surface grade to depths of 10 to 15 feet below grade surface (bgs) (terminus of deepest boring). Bedrock was not encountered during any environmental investigations performed at the site. Groundwater was encountered at 8-10 feet bgs. Groundwater flow was found towards the west during the investigation, toward the confluence of the East River and Newtown Creek, rather than the expected direction towards the north.

Summary of Project Completion Dates

Projects associated with this site are listed in the Project Completion Dates table and are grouped by Operable Unit (OU). A site can be divided into a number of operable units depending on the complexity of the site and the number of issues associated with a site. Sites are often divided into operable units based on the media to be addressed (such as groundwater or contaminated soil), geographic area, or other factors.

Contaminants of Concern (Including Materials Disposed)

Site Environmental Assessment

Post-Remediation: Remediation at the site is complete. Prior to remediation, the primary contaminants of concern were lead, arsenic and SVOCs in soil. Remedial actions have successfully achieved soil cleanup objectives for restricted residential use. Residual contamination in the soil, groundwater, and soil vapor is being managed under a Site Management Plan. Prior to Remediation: Nature and Extent of Contamination: Various investigations have included the site since 2001. The most recent investigation results from 2019 and 2020 are described below: Soil and groundwater were analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides and the emerging contaminants per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and 1,4-dioxane. Soil vapor was analyzed for VOCs. Soil- The primary contaminants in soil at this site are metals and SVOCs. Arsenic, copper, and lead, with lesser amounts of barium and mercury exceed the applicable restricted residential soil cleanup objectives (RRSCOs). Arsenic was found at a maximum concentration of up to 60 parts per million (ppm) compared to the RRSCO of 16 ppm, though later samples showed a range from 8- 16 ppm sitewide. Copper was found at 599 ppm (RRSCO is 270 ppm). Lead in soil ranges up to 10900 ppm (RRSCO is 400 ppm). Individual SVOCs, such as benzo(a)anthracene, benzo(a)pyrene, and chrysene, were found throughout the site above the RRSCOs. In one location, the SVOCs totaled 789 ppm which exceeds the 500 ppm total for cleanup. For emerging contaminants, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) were detected. PFOS was measured in two soil samples below the guidance value for unrestricted use of 0.88 ppb. PFOA was detected in one soil sample at 1.7 ppb, exceeding the unrestricted use and the protection of groundwater guidance values of 0.66 ppb and 1.1 ppb respectively, but below the restricted residential standard of 33 ppb. Data does not indicate any off-site soil impacts related to this site. Groundwater- Groundwater exceeds ambient water quality standards (AWQS) for the naturally-occurring metals iron, sodium, magnesium and manganese, and the VOC 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) which was detected at 1 part per billion (ppb), slightly exceeding the standard of 0.6 ppb. 1,2-DCA may be related to a historic petroleum release. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) were reported at concentrations of up to 170 and 25 parts per trillion (ppt), respectively, exceeding the Maximum Contaminant Level (drinking water standard) of 10 ppt in groundwater. 1,4-dioxane was reported at concentrations of up to 0.1 parts per billion (ppb), below the Maximum Contaminant Level (drinking water standard) of 1 ppb in groundwater. Data does not indicate any off-site groundwater impacts related to this site. Soil Vapor - Five soil vapor samples were obtained in 2020. The primary contaminants in soil vapor are volatile organic compounds such as acetone 860 ug/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter), n-pentane (180 u/gm3) and n-hexane (470 ug/m3). One of the five samples contained PCE at 1.8 ug/m3 which is just above the detection level. Other chlorinated compounds were detected in the soil vapor, such as dichlorodifluoromethane (R-12) (3 ug/m3) and trichlorofluoromethane (R-11) (2.2ug/m3). Data does not indicate any off-site impacts in soil vapor related to this site.

Site Health Assessment

Remedial actions are complete and measures are in place to prevent people from coming in contact with residual site contamination.

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