The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) are currently seeking public input on the proposed remedy for contaminated Peconic River sediments, soils at the Lab's sewage treatment plant, and area groundwater. This remedy is detailed in the Operable Unit V Proposed Plan, which was released on February 15. DOE invites the public to review this plan, which is available online at http://www.oer.dir.bnl.gov/ou5doc.html, and send in your comments.
Already, based on feedback from the public, DOE has extended the public comment period by 60 days to May 15, 2000. All comments should be submitted no later than that date.
Community airs concerns
In late February and early March, DOE held four meetings to give the public an opportunity to learn more about this cleanup project and to provide their input on the proposed remedy. Over 30 community members attended two roundtable meetings on February 23rd and 29th, while 18 community members attended the public meeting on March 2nd. Fourteen community members attended the Peconic River and Bay workshop on March 7th (see page 4 for more information).
Opinions stated thus far by the public have varied widely. Some of the comments received to date include:
Community members also requested that consideration be given to including them in the resolution process as these comments are reviewed and considered by DOE.
Public input is requested
Detailed reports on the Operable Unit V project are available in the Lab's Administrative Record. The public libraries in Middle Island and Shirley, as well as the Lab's own research library, keep copies of this record. Some information is also available on the web at http://www.oer.dir.bnl.gov.
A fact sheet summarizing this cleanup project was mailed to the community in February. You can see it online at http://www.oer.dir.bnl.gov/ou5doc.html or request a copy by calling (631) 344-7459.
As noted previously, the public comment period for the Operable Unit V cleanup will end on May 15, 2000. DOE will review and consider all of the input received and make a final cleanup proposal. This proposal will then require concurrence by the N.Y. State Department of Environmental Conservation and signature by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"We want to ensure that the cleanup methods selected are both appropriate and effective," says John Meersman, manager of BNL's Environmental Restoration Division. "This requires careful consideration of public comments and final agreement with the regulatory agencies."
Next steps
The cleanup decision will be documented in the Operable Unit V Record of Decision (ROD), which will include DOE's responses to public comments. As with other cleanup-related documents, the ROD will be placed into BNL's Administrative Record, where it will be available for public review.
Following the signing of the ROD, the selected cleanup remedy will be designed and implemented. If the remedy includes excavating river sediments, BNL expects to hold additional meetings with the public to gather input on their concerns about and desires for the excavation process. This input will be incorporated into the cleanup design as much as possible.
The Laboratory is also working to ensure that areas cleaned up stay clean. "We have an active and effective pollution prevention program already in place that will help protect the Peconic River for the recreation and enjoyment of future generations," Meersman states.
BNL currently expects the OU V ROD to be signed in the summer of 2000. If this schedule is maintained, cleanup is expected to begin in 2001.
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On March 2, community members learned about the Peconic River/Sewage Treatment Plant cleanup and got an opportunity to ask questions at a public meeting. Representatives of Brookhaven National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy were present to respond to questions. |