An all-too-familiar problem

Hi QC,

I recently attended the Community Council meeting at the 105th precinct. I expressed my concerns about an illegal businesses being run out of a residential home on 107-16 Springfield Blvd in Queens Village. These individuals are fixing cars at all hours of the day right on Springfield blvd. In the process, they are dumping oil all over the street and sidewalks, and discarding oil down the sewer drains which eventually drains into Jamaica Bay. They have a tractor trailer parked in the driveway, and a full blown junkyard in the backyard! A couple residents at the meeting expressed concerns about this place as well, since it's bringing down the quality of life in our neighborhood and devaluing our homes. The community affairs officer told me that they'll be paying them a visit, and she'll contact the DEP. I also contacted the NYS DEC Police twice and they were very helpful. I also filed 311 complaints with the DSNY and DOB, for the messy conditions, illegal parking of the tractor trailer, and of course the junkyard in the back. I just want to show your readers some of the ghetto nonsense that we deal with in SE Qns on a daily basis. Thanks.

- Philster

EDC tried to cover up contamination at Flushing Airport

YESTERDAY, State Senator Tony Avella held an emergency press conference regarding the Economic Development Corporation’s (EDC) attempted cover-up of fuel contaminated soil. Community Board 7 began to receive reports from residents earlier today regarding a noticeable smell of petroleum throughout College Point, later to be traced to ongoing projects in the College Point Corporate Park.

As part of the ongoing wetlands mitigation project, contractors began to strip the runway previously used by the former Flushing Airport. Visible pools of fuel were then discovered underneath, which went unreported as EDC apparently advised the contractor to continue operations. Furthermore, additional liquid petroleum was found at the excavation site of the nearby 132nd Street/Linden Place extension project.

According to an anonymous whistleblower, rather than reporting the issue within the appropriate 24-hour timeframe, workers were instructed to follow protocol as though the soil was mildly contaminated by metals and use it as berm material to be used throughout the City. By failing to disclose the presence of liquid petroleum and hiding it in soil used for park space, EDC officials are potentially breaking the law, and thus willing to expose countless people to the health hazard of oil contaminated soil.

Senator Avella was able to access the site being excavated along 20th Avenue, where a construction crew was apparently mixing the petroleum with mulch and tree leaves so as to cover the smell. Despite the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) sending a spill team to inspect the issue early Monday morning, Senator Avella found that construction work was still ongoing in the mid-afternoon.

“To knowingly conceal petroleum contaminated soil and repurpose it use throughout the City is utterly disgraceful and borders criminality. EDC has shown that it is willing to expose people to a substantial health hazard, if it means preventing a delay on their project in College Point Corporate Park. Despite the efforts to conceal the truth, all of College Point could smell the foul play and reported the district wide scent of petroleum to Community Board 7. Our safety should not depend upon the diligence of the community and the conscience of a lone whistle-blower; I demand EDC to halt their project pending an investigation and answer to these allegations,” declared State Senator Tony Avella.

Senator Avella spoke with DEC following his press conference at the site and was informed that the agency was in the process of reviewing the allegation with the investigator sent to the site.

The Queens Courier has more.

An oily mess in Flushing

"A few months ago, a major house alteration began at 149-15 33 Ave in Flushing, making the house approximately double its current size. On December 22 a Stop Work Order was issued. It has since been lifted and construction/digging recently began on March 26.

On April 2, I noticed after one of their dump trucks with attached trailer was lifting the dump portion and maneuvering, there's a pretty big oily mess, either oil or hydraulic fluid, all over the street and sidewalk on my corner now.

Hope it doesn't cause a car accident from sliding due to an inability to stop, especially if wet when it rains." - anonymous

UPDATE 3:30pm

Boats sinking in Hawtree Creek

From the Queens Chronicle:

No chance to look off the port bow for two Howard Beach boats, because they’re slowly sinking into Hawtree Creek.

The 50- and 30-foot boats, both belonging to a Bayview Avenue resident, have slowly been listing into the creek after they lost their sea legs about a week ago. Although still tied to the dock, both are just about halfway underwater.

Both were leaking oil and fuel into the creek, which leads into Jamaica Bay, over the weekend until authorities pumped the fluids out of them, according to members of the Howard Beach Motor Boat Club, located a few yards away from the wreckage.

“But that was after a day of leakage that went unmitigated,” said Mike Raffo, a member of the boat club and a lifelong resident of Howard Beach. “Now there’s a whole canal full of gasoline.”

Oil slicks were visible on the water Tuesday afternoon.

Dan Mundy Jr., a member of the Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers, said the fluids in the water present an environmental hazard that should be addressed immediately.

“If you have oil in the boat, you have contaminated water and you need to get the Department of Environmental Conservation out there,” he said.

City fell victim to oil scam

From DNA Info:

Five of the city's largest fuel oil companies allegedly swindled the NYPD, the FDNY and some of Manhattan's largest developers in a multimillion-dollar citywide scheme, DNAinfo New York has learned.

The companies are suspected of taking worthless but hazardous waste oil and "blending" it with fuel oil before delivering the diluted product to customers, including NYPD precinct houses, FDNY firehouses, other city agencies, local hospitals and many of the city’s largest residential buildings, as well as smaller homeowners and mom-and-pop businesses across the boroughs, sources said.

In addition to the “blending scheme,” the companies are also suspected of rigging meters on trucks to inflate the number of gallons delivered to customers, thereby charging them for fuel they did not receive, sources said.

Exxon off the hook - for now

From the Daily News:

A federal judge is not convinced that the methane gas leaking from waste oil underneath a Queens building is a ticking time bomb ready to explode.

Brooklyn Judge Pamela Chen rejected a demand by Phoenix Beverage — which operates a large warehouse in Long Island City — to order Exxon Mobil to launch an immediate cleanup.

“There's not enough evidence that there is an imminent threat of an explosion,” Chen said Wednesday. “I, of course, hope it does not come to pass.”

...Chen sided with the Exxon Mobil lawyers who argued that the situation is being monitored and the risk of an explosion is merely speculation. Both sides have been litigating the case for years and Chen will ultimately have to decide who is responsible for cleaning up the boatloads of underground waste oil.

Mysterious oil truck at Memorial Field

Hey Crappy! So last week I was walking my dog to Memorial Field in North Flushing. I previously reported on the newly reconstructed ballfields at 149th Street and 26th Avenue, which included a new bioswale on the eastern 20' of the park, to capture rainwater and mitigate flooding. However, as with most bioswales, it quickly became a garbage magnet - which was cleaned up several days after I contacted Queens Crap.

Well, I thought I'd give it another whirl, because the bioswales are truly excellent at attracting trash as can be seen in these pics. And, since maintenance by the Parks Department is next to zero, I thought I'd reach out to you again.

Outside of the athletic fields is even more interesting. A few weeks ago, I noticed a fuel truck at the northwest corner of Bayside Avenue and 149th Street parked illegally and reeking of what smelled like burning oil. It also had yellow "CAUTION" tape wrapped around it. I figured it was a disabled truck that was going to be moved in a few days.

Well, lo and behold: two days later, the truck was gone. However, as I was walking up to the field...there was the truck! Now on the east side of 149th Street at 28th Avenue, the truck was there reeking of combustible fuel - with the yellow tape around it AGAIN!

This is a disaster waiting to happen, Crappy. Why hasn't the DEP or the 109th Precinct gotten this polluter off the streets?

- North Flushing Resident

It's a gas!

From the Daily News:

Lawyers for a Queens beverage company are sounding the alarm that there’s an imminent threat of an explosion at its Long Island City warehouse due to methane gas leaking from waste oil at the adjacent property, the Daily News has learned.

They’re seeking an injunction in Brooklyn Federal Court ordering Exxon Mobil to deal with the longstanding problem at the contaminated site where recent tests show methane gas readings are 10 times the acceptable level of risk, according to court papers.

Phoenix Beverages filed suit in 2012 alleging that the building next door, Quanta Resources Corp., at 37-80 Review Ave., was used as a waste-oil facility from 1970 to 1981, and fumes are migrating from underground oil.

People pollute NY waters frequently, but swans must die?

From the Daily News:

The oil-soaked razorbill that waddled onto the beach in Far Rockaway last month was just the tip of the iceberg.

A January tugboat accident spilled between 6,000 and 8,000 gallons of diesel fuel into the waters, a measure that far exceeds the level of damage first indicated by Department of Environmental Conservation officials.

Meanwhile, as many as 10 birds may have been drenched in oil when the tug Sea Lion took on water, sinking just outside Atlantic Beach.

But wildlife rehabilitators who received several waterfowl covered in muck suggested the number of sickened sea birds could be much higher.

But according to DEC, it's swans that are responsible for the destruction of native wildlife and must be destroyed. Somehow I don't think their alleged crimes compare to all that humans have done to the environment.

Take a deep breath

From Metro:

The city’s air quality has reached the cleanest levels in more than 50 years through efforts that will save the lives of some 800 New Yorkers annually, officials announced Thursday.

“New York has the cleanest air now of any major American city,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

In the last five years, the levels of sulfur dioxide—which can cause difficulty breathing, death and contribute to acid rain production—decreased by 69 percent, according to a study conducted by the city. Soot pollution has dropped 23 percent since 2007.

Phasing out the most toxic heating oils as part of the Bloomberg administration’s PlaNYC initiative is the largest contributor to the reductions, officials said.

Through the Clean Heat program, more than 2,700 of the most heavily-polluting buildings converted to cleaner fuels since 2011, though regulations only require they do so by 2030.

“All of the people in this city have gotten together and, whether they really thought about it or not, collectively they’ve made a real difference in the stuff we’re putting in the air,” Bloomberg said.

Expanding the regional gas supply and local distribution as well as state emission regulations have also contributed to cleaner air quality.

Officials said these efforts were the biggest step in saving lives in the city since banning smoking in bars and restaurants a decade ago. Since 2008, there’s been about 25 percent less pollution-related deaths, hospital and emergency room visits, Bloomberg said.

The scandal that Queens pols won't talk about

From LTV Squad:

I immediately set out to walk the trail. What I found amounts to a coverup.

The 2 large sections of the trail which were washed out and passable via paving stones have been completely covered by a brand new, thicker layer of woodchips. It completely covers up the oily soil underneath. Yes – I said it again: It covers it up. Was any of the oily mud scraped up and sent out for testing?

No work has been done on the Willow Lake Trail Bridge. Nature, however, has taken over the burned out portions with lush green vines – so unless you knew better you might not realize you’re crossing a ‘temporary’ bridge.

Between Willow Lake Bridge and the Grand Central Parkway Bridge, the trail is completely not passable. The paving stones that were used to cross the 2 washouts further east are now being placed on the west end of the trail. They suddenly dead end though, and you’re left to make you’re way through the mud, thick vegetation, and wooden planks to try to make your way to the bridge over the highway. As of this writing, if you try to access the park/trail from the forest hills side, you can only cross the bridge over the Grand Central Parkway. The path is completely lost in the brush throughout this west end of the trail.

A friend of mine from the neighborhood had this reaction when trying to enter from near the Grand Central Parkway: “I just went into the Forest Hills entrance, and it is EXACTLY as it was the last time I went in there 8 years. ago. Sidewalks cracked with tons of growth. Broken lamps. I got 100 feet down the path and had to turn around because the path is the same muddy piece of crap it used to be. Pat Dolan would be pissed if she saw her name on the gate. (As far as I know, from my side of the park, that sign and gate is the only new thing to this area)”

Between Willow Lake Bridge and the Grand Central Parkway Bridge, the trail is completely not passable.

Clearly, they are still working on making this end of the path passable. Why did they even open up the trail if you can’t walk the entire length?

I’ll tell you why: lack of coordination. Clearly our friends at City Hall and The Parks Department were completely embarrassed by the photos posted here. Someone miscommunicated how far the work crew had progressed and they reopened the trail. Assuming there is a work crew presently working on repairing the trail, it probably won’t take them more than 1-2 weeks to finish the job (depending on the size of the crew of course).

All of the old abandoned lamp posts are still along this portion of the trail. You’d think the city would rip them out of there and get a few bucks for the scrap metal.

Curiously, the new ‘Duck Blind’ that they built at the edge of the lake was basically abandoned on Sunday. The new woodchip trail does not branch off to it clearly, and reeds are growing all around it.

Again: the message sent is lack of coordination. A rush job.

Attention NYC Parks Department and City Hall: Queens is still calling, and we want some answers. We’re not going to stop asking until you provide them in great detail.

Reopening this park is a nice first step. Anyone that now goes there will be able to clearly see its potential and what an asset it is to the community this parkland is. That’s a very good thing. I have nothing but praise to the workers who pulled this off so quick, and nothing but disdain towards the politicians who allowed this fiasco to fester for so long. Make no mistake about this: opening the trail is the first large step – now it needs to be maintained, and the soil and water around the lake need to be tested so we know what we’re dealing with and can come up with a plan to clean up any potential toxic chemicals.

Jamaica Bay ecosystem damaged by storm

From the Times Ledger:

Jamaica Bay’s wildlife and its serene surroundings were suddenly compromised when last week’s superstorm hit. Aside from the heartbreaking human toll, the storm blasted the bay with short-term and long-term effects, according to Dan Hendrick, the communications director at the New York League of Conservation Voters, who authored a book about the bay in 2004.

“The biggest issue is that with the storm, a tremendous volume of debris washed into the bay,” said Hendrick, who is involved with the production of “Jamaica Bay Lives!” an upcoming documentary on the bay. “It’s a hazard for the people there and it’s also a detriment to the water quality.”

The city Department of Environmental Protection announced Saturday that significant work has been completed to wastewater treatment facilities damaged by the storm, with 99 percent of the city’s wastewater being treated.

Besides water quality, Jamaica Bay suffered damage elsewhere. Hendrick said the storm ravaged the habitats of the piping plover and the terrapin populations. He also said the storm surge cut a new channel from the bay into what was a freshwater pond and created an array of sinkholes.

“These animals rely on this habitat and the piping plover will be impacted when it comes back from migration next year,” he said. “We will keep an eye out for turtle health, as we expect numbers will drop next year.”

From the Queens Courier:

The environmental expert, now filming a documentary about Jamaica Bay, said Sandy left both short- and long-term damage, ranging from trash in the water ways to obliterated ecosystems. A major, immediate issue — oil spills — stems from Broad Channel’s heating systems operating on oil rather than natural gas.

“[The oil] will disperse with time but it was something that had a very strong, localized impact on Broad Channel,” said Hendrick.

City turning toward biofuel

From Eyewitness News:

Thousands of restaurants throughout New York City are recycling their used cooking oil, keeping it out of landfills and providing a cleaner fuel source.

Local gas stations then sell diesel fuel from Tri-State Biodiesel, which can be used by any vehicle that uses diesel. It costs the same, but is much better for the environment.

And Tri-State Biodiesel is busy, making weekly pick ups of used cooking oil from more than 3,000 restaurants throughout the five boroughs.

What about the Blissville oil spill?

From Newtown Pentacle:

It is not news that there are environmental contaminants floating freely in this troubled waterway, nor is there any revelation to be found in the fact that petroleum products are commonly observed pooling and flowing about the Newtown Creek watershed.

What is news is that this is in Queens.

Much of the attention, and deservedly so because of the large and growing population of Greenpoint and Williamsburg, which Newtown Creek receives is all about Brooklyn. The north shore of the Creek in Queens is often left out of discussion (and from both remediation and environmental benefits funding) because of its relatively tiny population and industrial character. One of the questions which this blog has asked since day one has been “Who can guess all there is, that might be buried down there?”.

In the case of the Blissville Oil spill, the question might as well be “How much there might be?”.

Phasing out dirty oil to take a long time

From Metro:

Black smoke will still billow out of apartment buildings and into the city’s air — even with new laws phasing out pollutants.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg passed regulations for the city’s buildings Thursday, requiring owners to switch to cleaner heating oils.

But the ban on the two worst heating oils — which health experts say cause pollution and health problems like asthma — will not completely take effect until 2030.

Starting immediately, owners will be denied a permit to heat their building unless they use natural gas, or step down to a less sulfuric heating oil, such as No. 2.

Building owners will have until 2015 to stop using the most noxious heating oil, No. 6.

But building owners still have until 2030 to keep burning No. 4.

City has a lot of cleaning up to do

From NY1:

The Bloomberg administration is proposing new rules to rid the city of dirty heating oil that emits unhealthy black smoke into the air. But it turns out the city itself is one of the worst offenders when it comes to burning the filthy fuel.

The city is proposing to ban the dirtiest type of heating oil by 2015. By 2030, only oil with lowest level of sulfur or natural gas will be allowed.

City officials say there are 455 city-owned buildings that use the two worst kinds of heating oils: number four and number six. In all, there are said to be close to 9,000 buildings citywide that do the same.

"These buildings burning four and six oil create more air pollution than all the cars and trucks combined in the city," said Isabelle Silverman of the Environmental Defense Fund.

A spokesman for the DEP says city buildings would not be exempt from the new regulations.

Powell's Cove crap

So I was in G-mail the other day, minding my own business, when I noticed an ad for Powell Cove Estates in College Point at the top of my screen. Couldn't resist...






Yeah, now that's estate living!

"About College Point" is very entertaining, starting with the first line.

And check this Queens Chronicle article out:

On the other side of Riverview is another condo project under construction called Powells Cove Estates, which was ordered by the state to clean up a spill last year. It consisted of a floating oil mix found underground.

Steve Achille, Powells Cove project manager, said the state is monitoring wells they have installed. “So far, we’re okay,” Achille said. “We’ve done what they asked us to do.”

But he admitted the problems at Riverview do concern him because of possible migration of the contamination.

I noticed this tidbit is missing from the website.

Developer moves forward with toxic condo project

From the Brooklyn Paper:

A group of Williamsburg residents are incensed that work on a new 15-story housing tower on the corner of Broadway and Kent Avenue will begin construction even though a six-year-old toxic spill underneath the site has not been fully cleaned up.

“There are dozens of stalled projects in Williamsburg, more than in any part of the city, so what’s the urgency of putting this building up?” asked Williamsburg resident Bill Storandt. “Why can’t they just clean up the site as the law requires?”

The project, financed by L+M Development Partners and Goldman Sachs, would consist of 160 units, 80 percent of which will be priced at below-market rates, revitalizing a stalled site where plans to construct a $70-million luxury hotel fizzled in 2007.

But the site contains a toxic oil spill and other contaminants — its legacy as a former gas station a decade ago — and state officials confirmed that it currently does not meet environmental standards.

A spokesman for the owner acknowledged the existing oil spill reported to the state and that the owner plans to address the spill “in connection with current construction activities” and in accordance with the state’s requirements.

But Wren said that the developer has not submitted a required work plan detailing its clean-up efforts — which must be sent in before construction begins on the site.

And neighbors remain nervous that the developer’s plan to include a supermarket on the ground floor of the building will put food products close to the pollution.
Gates Cooperative

“They’re going to put a food in the first floor where there was contamination and probably store food in the basement?” said Mendoza. “That’s a concern for us.”

Newtown Creek to get Superfund status

From NY1:

The Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to make a major announcement about Newtown Creek.

Sources tell NY1 that the EPA plans to designate it a superfund site during a conference call on Monday.

In 2008, the EPA agreed to test the amount of toxic chemicals and hazardous waste in the creek, to determine whether it should be a superfund site.

The designation would make it eligible for federal funding to cover most of the costs.

The creek, which borders Brooklyn and Queens, was the site of a massive underground oil spill believed to have started in the 1950s that went unnoticed until 1978.

Queens men accused of grease theft

From CBS New York:

Two Queens men are accused of trying to steal used cooking oil from a New Jersey restaurant.

Police say they caught Youngil Kim and Byung Ho Choi sucking 700 gallons of grease from two storage tanks behind a Five Guys Burgers and Fries restaurant in North Bergen Monday.

Waste oil can be turned into biodiesel fuel. The restaurant sells its grease to a contractor for a little more than $1 a gallon.

Police say the men attached a hose to a pump in a canary yellow van. The oil was stored in a plastic bladder.

Detective Lt. Frank Cannella tells The Record newspaper they “weren’t sneaky thieves, they were greasy thieves.”