Review of a report focusing on the Peconic River and contamination at Brookhaven National Laboratory's (BNL) sewage treatment plant is continuing.
Following the collection and analysis of additional data by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, release of the "Operable Unit V Remedial Investigation Report" has been delayed until late fall. This is to provide time for additional regulator review and comment on this data. The document was originally scheduled to be available for public review earlier this fall.
A public meeting on remediation alternatives for contaminated sediments in the Peconic is expected to be held during the winter of 1997/98.
In a related note, BNL and the U.S. Department of Energy are participating in a river sampling program with the Suffolk County Department of Health Services and a Shelter Island environmental group, Fish Unlimited. The project began in October, with sediment and plant samples collected and split three ways among the groups. Five different New York State-approved laboratories will analyze the samples, and results will be documented in a report to be released next year.
The goal of this effort is to help regain the community's trust by verifying contaminant levels reported by BNL.
Extended review of cleanup plans has delayed release of the "Operable Unit I (OU I) Proposed Plan," and the "Draft Feasibility Study Report for OU I/Site Wide Radiological Soils." The two documents were originally scheduled for a fall 1997 release.
Despite this delay, a December public meeting regarding remediation alternatives for site-wide radiologically contaminated soils is still expected. The meeting and associated poster sessions will be held during a public comment period on the two reports, now expected to begin in December.
Once dates are set, notification letters will be sent to the Environmental Restoration Division (ERD) mailing list, and meeting dates and times will also be listed on the ERD web site (www.oer.dir.bnl.gov).
The two reports follow a remedial investigation completed in June 1996.
The Proposed Plan and Feasibility Study will be available at the Lab's information repositories (for locations click here). A public notice will also be published to announce their release.
The Suffolk County Water Authority is nearing completion of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) public water hookup project.
As of October 22, installation of water main was complete in all areas except Manorville, where 57,750 feet of the estimated 60,000 feet needed has been installed. Private installations and associated tie-ins continue, with 442 private property installations completed and 226 tie-ins completed. This is out of an estimated 500. Weather permitting, restoration of roadways in all areas will be completed this calendar year.
All hookups are expected to be completed by the end of December. However, unseasonable weather conditions over the next two months could delay completion, particularly with respect to landscaping and roads.
If contacted by the water authority or its plumbing contractor (Twin County Excavating) regarding installation of a final tie-in, please respond in a timely fashion. You can contact Twin County at 476-2490 to schedule an appointment.
Once work in Manorville is done (12/31/97), DOE will consider the project
to be complete and there will be little, if any, opportunity for it to provide
additional hookups. Please keep in mind the Agency for Toxic Substances
and Disease Registry recommends that residents in these areas accept DOE's
public water hookup offer (see story, page 1).