Members of the community have been effective in helping the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory make decisions about off-site groundwater treatment systems.
The Laboratory is designing six groundwater treatment systems that will be located south and southeast of Laboratory property. Five of these systems will treat certain chemicals, known as volatile organic compounds, whose concentrations are above the drinking-water standards. These chemicals are common in household products, such as solvents, fuel oils, polishes, and cleansers. The other system will treat ethylene dibromide, a chemical that once was commonly used as an agricultural pesticide. Federal and State environmental regulators require the installation of these systems.
After putting together a series of potential options for the placement of the off-site systems, the Laboratory and Department of Energy began reaching out to the community for input. The discussions with community members began with area residents. Laboratory staff mailed informational brochures and comment cards to residents south and southeast of the Lab. Staff knocked on the doors of homes in the areas near the planned groundwater treatment systems to invite residents to a workshop. Information was left at homes where no one answered.
Approximately 40 residents participated in a June 11 workshop at the Laboratory's Berkner Hall. The Lab considered the comments from the neighborhood visits and the workshop. Several recommendations made by area residents are being implemented.
For example, a building that was originally planned to be located in a residential neighborhood will now be located at the northern portion of Brookhaven Airport. It will be combined with a building that was already planned for another groundwater treatment system at this location. Residents first suggested this idea and the Lab, after evaluating the plan, agreed that it was a viable alternative. However, piping will need to be installed down Puritan Drive in order to implement this alternative.
Workshop participants also agreed that piping the water to the Brookhaven airport was the best solution. They also recognized that this increases the chance for system leaks or pipe breaks. The Lab has been evaluating options to reduce this risk. Pipes will be buried four feet underground, and will be clearly marked to prevent inappropriate use. The system will include a series of pressure switches that will shut the pumps off in the unlikely event that a break occurs. Before the system is used, it will be leak- and pressure-tested for integrity. While the contaminant levels in this water are relatively low, the Lab is committed to making the system safe.
The Laboratory recognizes how hard residents in East Yaphank worked to get their roads repaved, and is making a commitment to repave the cuts in the roads so they are level and smooth. The Lab will work closely with the Town of Brookhaven to meet the town’s repaving specifications, and will require the contractor who performs this work to provide a one-year maintenance bond for restoring the road.
Area residents also requested that one of the systems be moved from the west side of North Street to the east side. They expressed concerns about the proximity to their homes because their children often play in the west area. The Lab is working with Suffolk County to obtain access to property on the east side of North Street to meet the request of the residents.
Community members expressed other concerns that are currently being evaluated by the Laboratory. Some of these concerns have been addressed in a flyer that can be found at http://www.bnl.gov/erd/Groundwater/OUiiiFlyer.pdf.
Between the spring of 2003 and the end of 2004, construction of these systems will be completed, and operation will begin. The Laboratory will continue to communicate with residents, to address their concerns, answer their questions, and keep them informed of the projects' progress.
If you would like to be included on the mailing list for additional information on groundwater projects, please call 631 344-2277. You may also visit our web site at http://www.bnl.gov/erd/groundwater.html.