Department of Energy, Brookhaven Lab, Community Celebrate Peconic River Cleanup Completion

September 16, 2005

The U.S. Department of Energy and Brookhaven National Laboratory have issued the following media advisory:

EVENT: Local, county, and state elected officials; environmental regulators; and invited guests will join the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Brookhaven National Laboratory in a celebratory event marking the completion earlier this year of the cleanup of the Peconic River.

WHEN: Thursday, September 22, 2005, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.

WHERE: Peconic River Sportsmen's Club, 389 River Road, Manorville, N.Y.

DETAILS: The Peconic River sediment cleanup project has been a primary focus for DOE, Brookhaven, environmental regulators, the community, and the media for several years. After more than a decade of sampling, analysis, review, and input from various governmental agencies and the public, cleanup of 19.8 acres of the river began in April 2004 and ended in July 2005 with the replanting of native vegetation along the banks of the restored riverbed.

To commemorate this cleanup milestone and the recognize the partnership it represents, DOE and Brookhaven are hosting a breakfast celebration at the historic Peconic Sportsmen's Club, on the former Woolworth-Donahue estate on the banks of the Peconic River in Manorville. The event will feature remarks by DOE, Brookhaven, and elected officials, and will be followed by a ceremonial release into the river of several banded sunfish, a N.Y. State threatened species, conditions permitting. Nearly 200 banded sunfish were removed from the Peconic prior to the start of cleanup activities, were released into a nearby pond for protection, and will be returned to the river over time.

Media interested in attending the event should contact John Carter of DOE at (631) 344-5195 or jcarter@bnl.gov, or Peter A. Genzer of BNL at (631) 344-3174 or genzer@bnl.gov.

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