The public has just a few weeks to comment on remediation plans for two former industrial sites in the South Bronx, one in Longwood and the other in Hunts Point. The areas received preliminary approval from the state earlier this month to begin remediation.
The brownfields – land contaminated with dangerous chemicals, usually due to previous industrial use – stretch from 644 to 650 Southern Boulevard in Longwood, and 401 Hunts Point Avenue to 1360 Drake Park South. There are over 1,000 sites like these across New York City, dozens in the Bronx and, according to EPA estimates, up to 1 million across the country.
Though the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) says the Longwood brownfield does not pose a “significant threat” to public health or the environment, the Hunts Point site harbors chemicals like carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethene, and tetrachloroethene, which can result in nervous system dysfunction, immune deficiency, organ damage, and cancer, for people with high exposure levels.
But cleaning the contaminated sites is expensive. It will cost an estimated $2.5 million to remediate the 650 Southern Boulevard site and between $500,000 and $1 million for the Hunts Point site. In New York State, the Brownfield Cleanup Program helps finance remediation by providing tax credits for the applicant once the work is completed.
