Hydrant horror in Whitestone

Several months ago a tractor trailer made an illegal right turn eastbound onto 5th avenue. The Semi hit a Fire Hydrant on the corner and proceeded to attempt to back out, running over the Hydrant again. There was a Diesel Fuel spill creating a Haz Mat situation on the block. The Hydrant has since been removed and replaced several times, due to contaminated soil underneath that needed to be removed. On June 8th 2011, both DEP and DEC were on sight once again digging out contaminated soil, and repairing hydrant due to the Diesel fuel contaminant still underground. When asked by several of the residents on 5th avenue what was going on, a high ranking DEP official explained that they would probably have to come back and dig up the street. This due to the fact that over 100 gallons of Diesel spilled onto the ground and is seeping further.

June 9th, we noticed water pooling around the hydrant, we took several pictures and sent them to CB7 as well as our Councilman's office. Our Councilman's office responded that DEP would investigate. June 10th 2011, the hydrant had a seal on it that read "NON COMPLETED WATER VALVE WORK ORDER". This on top of the fact that the first time they repaired the Hydrant it was left inoperable for several weeks until one of our members questioned its operational ability. Now yet again we have a Fire Hydrant that was rendered inoperable months ago and continues to be inoperable in a time when our immediate community is being hit with FIRE HOUSES CLOSING, ENGINE 306 IN BAYSIDE (which would be one of the houses responding to our area in the event of an emergency).

Yet again an already dangerous situation on 5th avenue in Whitestone Queens is being compounded because No one is willing to do the right thing for the block and convert it to a One Way West Bound. If this would have been done, the accident that caused this problem would never have happened.

That Hydrant could have been a person or worse a child. The driver that night did not know what he ran over, only that he ran something or someone over and attempted to back up running the something or someone over yet again! (Murder?) Now we are left with contaminated soil that is traveling to the point where they may need to excavate the road. To add insult to injury , if there is a fire, GOD FORBID! The residents of 5th avenue will have to make due without a Hydrant.

Thank you to all that have allowed this Extremely Dangerous situation to continue and get progressively worse. We now have a toxic spill underground that is spreading . As well as an inoperable FIRE HYDRANT! Is the Diesel seeping into the foundations of the surrounding homes as well? Is the Fire Hydrant going to be repaired quickly?

HOW MUCH MORE MUST THE RESIDENTS OF 5TH AVENUE ENDURE????

Malba Gardens Civic Association

Smell of gas in the air

From 1010WINS:

Red Hook residents complain the ships at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal keep their diesel engines running to generate electricity which in turn pollutes the air for hours at a time making it difficult to breathe for some.

“You can smell the air right now, we have an overlay of diesel in the air,” one man said.

“If you drive over the Brooklyn Bridge on certain days you actually see the plume going into the air,” another man said.

Local lawmakers are calling on the city, state and utilities to find a clean air alternative and make available on-shore power and electricity to ships so that they can plug into an electrical grid at the port rather than sit idling.

“They spew noxious diesel fumes into the air the entire time they’re here,” State Sen. Daniel Squadron said.

Squadron said the money is there to supply the power to the ships but after nearly two years of negotiations it’s the maintenance and operating costs that have choked off a solution.

”It’s time to stop choking Brooklyn,” Squadron said.