Mi. Cleanup of a Summerfield Street Property Ridgewood, Queens County, NY Community Update January 2013 Public Information Session Greater Ridgewood Youth Council 59-03 Summerfield Street Ridgewood, NY 11385 Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013 From 6pm - 8pm Recent activities: August 2011: Property owner's consultant collected surface and subsurface soil samples in the backyard and samples of building material of the cottage and analyzed them for mercury. October 2011: NYSDEC collected surface soil samples from the back yards of two adjacent residential properties, January, March & May 2012: EPA collected indoor air, soil, and building material samples at 59-44 Summerfield; and indoor air and soil samples at seven other adjacent properties and analyzed them for mercury. Contact Information: Cecilia Echols Community Involvement Coordinator (212)637-3678 echols. cecilia@epa. gov Toll free at 800-346-5009 Arlene Anderson On-Scene Coordinator (732)906-6803 Anderson Arlene @epa. gov INTRODUCTION The United States Environmental Protection Agency is responding to a request made by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to perform a cleanup at the 59-44 Summerfield Street Property in Ridgewood, New York. CURRENT SITUATION & NEXT STEPS EPA is proposing demolishing and disposing of a mercury-contaminated cottage followed by the excavation and disposal of mercury-contaminated soil from several residential properties along Summerfield Streets. RESPONSE ACTION In response to a complaint at a single story, brick structure cottage located in the rear of 59-44 Summerfield Street, mercury contamination was found in the air inside of the cottage as well as in surrounding soils in the summer of 2011. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) surveyed the air in the cottage on June 30, 2011 and again on July 7, 2011. The levels of mercury detected in the air inside the cottage had shown exceedances. The cottage has been, and remains, vacated and access is restricted by order of the DOHMH. EPA collected soil and indoor air samples at the property and at two adjacent properties analyzed the samples for mercury. All cottage air samples were consistent with those reported by DOHMH. The soil samples exceeded the action levels for mercury. At the two adjacent properties indoor air samples did not detect mercury, but, mercury was detected in soil at slightly elevated concentrations. SITE HISTORY During the early 1900 to 1950s, the cottage was used as a mercury thermometer manufacturing and processing facility. www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/removal/summerfield ------- www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/removal/summerfield ------- |