Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Brownfields not actually tested post-Sandy


From the NY Post:

For more than a month, the Environmental Protection Agency has said Hurricane Sandy did not cause significant problems at any of the 247 Superfund toxic-waste sites it’s monitoring in New York and New Jersey.

But in many cases, no actual tests of soil or water — just visual inspections — are being conducted.

The EPA conducted a few tests right after the storm, but a spokesman couldn’t provide details or locations of any recent testing when asked last week.

The 1980 Superfund law gave the EPA the power to order cleanups of abandoned, spilled and illegally dumped hazardous wastes, such as the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn.

“The EPA and the state of New Jersey have not done due diligence to make sure these sites have not created problems,” said Jeff Tittel, director of the Sierra Club in New Jersey.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

So where are all the environmental and green groups that get the headlines raising food next to a railroad or on an abandoned factory site?

You know, the ones that either have developer types on the board or receive money from pols in hock to developers?

Why have they remained quiet?

(note the map around Newtown Creek - a few dots of areas 'cleaned up.')

Yeah, right.

Joe in Richmond Hill said...

The areas adjacent to the brownfields now need testing as flood waters probably spread the contamination to locations outside the designated brown field. The low laying areas where muddy water collected may be the most contaminated. Those low spots may be blocks away from the brownfield. Also test peoples basements.