WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES OCTOBER 5, 2017 3
Businesses & apts. at Ridgewood radioactive site to be brought down
BY ANTHONY GIUDICE
AGIUDICE@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@A_GIUDICEREPORT
The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) now has a
fi nal plan in place for what they
will do to clean up the Wolff -Alport
Chemical Company Superfund site,
Ridgewood’s radioactive hotspot.
Aft er several studies, tests, community
outreach meetings and a comment
period the EPA has identifi ed several
buildings on the former Wolff -Alport
site, located on Irving Avenue between
Cooper Avenue and Moff at Street on
the Queens/Brooklyn border, as well
as soil from on and off the site and
adjacent sewers, that have been contaminated
with radioactive materials.
On Sept. 27, the EPA announced its fi -
nal plans for the Superfund site, which
include the permanent relocation of
six commercial businesses and the
residents above one of those businesses;
the demolition of all the contaminated
buildings at the location; the
cleaning/replacing of contaminated
sewers; and the excavation, removal
and off -site disposal of approximately
24,300 cubic yards of contaminated
soil, sediment and debris.
“EPA is taking action to address the unacceptable
risk posed by the radioactive
material that remains at this site,” said
Catherine McCabe, EPA’s acting regional
administrator. “Through the Superfund,
we will implement a permanent fi x that
will protect those who live and work in
the area over the long term.”
The property currently holds six
parcels of land with fi ve buildings that
house several small businesses, offi ce
spaces, warehouses and residential
apartments. The EPA will support
and assist the on-site tenants with the
relocations as part of its cleanup plan.
Those businesses and apartments
were allowed to stay on the site until now
because back in 2012 the EPA, along with
state and city agencies, took steps under
its emergency response authorities to
reduce the public’s potential exposure to
radiation. That work included installing
a radon mitigation system at one of the
on-site businesses that reduced radon
levels to below the level of concern, as
well as the placement of concrete, lead
and steel shielding on top of several
building fl oors and on a sidewalk.
To date the EPA has already spent
nearly $3.5 million at the site, and this
cleanup plan is estimated to cost an
additional $39.9 million.
Before this plan was fi nalized, the
EPA held a public meeting in Brooklyn
on Aug. 16 and accepted comments on
the plan for 30 days.
For more information on the Superfund
site, visit the EPA website.
NEW YORK CONSTITUTION
This week’s issue features a 12-page special advertorial supplement on the
upcoming New York State Constitutional Convention referendum.
It was produced and paid for by Eff ectiveNY, a nonprofi t organization seeking
passage of the referendum, which is on the Nov. 7 general election ballot.
It should be noted that the contents of the advertorial contains opinions
that may not necessarily be those of this publication or its staff .
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