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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