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A $12.6 million state Department of Environmental Conservation plan to remediate the vacated former Dzus Fastener Co. property in West Islip will be the subject of an informational meeting being held Wednesday night.
The meeting is open to the public and starts at 7 p.m. at West Islip Public Library at 3 Higbie Lane.
The DEC is encouraging all concerned residents to attend and respond.
Click here for links to the DEC superfund fact sheet on the one-acre property, which was used by Dzus Fasteners to produce fasteners and springs from 1932 to 2015.
Leaching pools on-site were used for the disposal of wastes, which consisted of oils, heavy metals and salts, according to the fact sheet.
Last year, the property was reclassified from “site properly closed-requires continued management” to “significant threat to the public health or environment-action required,” after elevated levels of cadmium were found in floodplain sediments along Willet’s Creek, according to a DEC spokesperson.
“This is the sole basis for the reclassification of the site,” the spokesperson said. “On rare occasions the long term monitoring of a site leads to the need for further action if conditions change, as was the case at the Dzus site.
“This is why we maintain a site management presence at remediated sites.”
The reclassification allowed off-site areas of the site to be fully investigated. The state collected and analyzed adjacent properties of Willetts Creek south of Union Boulevard, Lake Capri, and from the tidal portion of Willetts south of Montauk Highway (map below).
The proposed remediation plan calls for soil and sediment removal to address elevated cadmium and chromium levels in the creek’s floodplain.
“This zone extends from behind the shopping plaza downstream to approximately 500 feet south of the footbridge at Edmore Lane,” the proposal reads.
The excavated area of the stream will be “restored to a stable riparian corridor with stable stream and floodplain wetlands.”
Excavated upland areas will be replaced with topsoil, plantings, and grass and restored a to a condition as it existed prior to the work, however possible, the plan reads.
The newly found elevated levels of chemicals could be attributed to eroded soil from an are that was not previously identified for action, possibly from Hurricane Sandy.
Both West Islip High School and Beach Street Middle School border the creek south of the former home of Dzus Fastener Co., which has been acquired by an eastern Pennsylvania-based company that does not have any connection to the West Islip property.
Earlier this year, DEC crews cleaned up contaminated sediment and cleared culverts from a creek footbridge used to access the middle school and high school, according to a Newsday report in January.
In a statement, West Islip superintendent Bernadette Burns said she encourages the community to participate in the forum.
“Our goal is to have this situation remedied in an effective and efficient manner that protects our community now and in the future,” she said. “The wellbeing of our students and staff is our top priority and we will continue to work with environmental officials to ensure that our schools and grounds provide a safe learning environment.”
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, “occupational exposure to cadmium can lead to a variety of adverse health effects including cancer” and low levels of exposure over an extended period of time can result in kidney, bone and lung disease.
The DEC work will be funded through the New York State Superfund Program, according to the DEC spokesperson, but “DEC will make all attempts to recover those costs from any parties deemed responsible for the contamination. ”
Can’t make it?
The DEC is accepting written comments about the proposed plan through Aug. 21. Email project manager Payson Long at payson.long@dec.ny.gov. Or send mail to Payson Long’s attention at 625 Broadway Albany, NY 12233-7017
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