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

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www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/removal/summerfield

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