Melody Cleaners Site

INTRODUCTION

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), in cooperation with the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), would like to inform you that Lowden Family Trust d/b/a Lowden Properties (the Volunteer) has completed the Supplemental Investigation of contamination discovered at the Melody Cleaners Site which is located at 2050 Hempstead Turnpike, East Meadow, New York.

Investigation Results

Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and it natural breakdown products were investigated in environmental media in the vicinity and downgradient of the drycleaner site. The following results were obtained:

The McVey Elementary School and other dwellings/buildings outside the horizontal extent of the soil gas PCE related contamination at the source area do not have a current risk from exposure to contaminated indoor air.
The highest concentrations of soil gas contamination are present in the vicinity of the former sanitary system associated with the dry cleaning building. The horizontal extent of the soil gas contamination appears to be spread across the majority of the cleaner building area and extends to the west and south. The extent of the soil gas contamination toward the residential neighborhood does not appear to extend beyond homes bordering Front Street.
The horizontal extent of the PCE related groundwater contaminant plume appears to extend to Devon Street in the direction of groundwater flow to the south of the cleaners. The vertical extent of the solvent related groundwater contaminant plume extends to at least one hundred and twenty four feet below ground level. No upgradient source of contamination was identified from the results of the remedial investigation.
The highest concentrations of residual PCE related soil contamination were detected beneath and surrounding the location of the former dry cleaning machines.
The horizontal extent of the PCE related soil contamination from this source appears to extend beyond the footprint of the cleaners to the west, south and east of the building. The extent of this contamination does not extend beyond the northern side of the cleaners.
The vertical extent of the residual PCE related soil contamination does not extend beyond twelve feet below the floor of the building.
An additional pollution source was confirmed to be present on the site. This source of contamination was identified within the seven abandoned underground leaching pools associated with the laundromat.

CLEANUP RECOMMENDATIONS

The Volunteer has proposed the following actions at this site:

Design and construct a soil vapor extraction system (SVE) in the vicinity of the dry cleaner building to mitigate the source of contamination as an Interim Remedial Measure (IRM).
Removal of the contaminated material contained within the laundromat leaching pools as a separate IRM.
Continued operation and maintenance of the interim air mitigation systems and monitoring program in place at each of three locations, until acceptable indoor air quality results are achieved resulting from the operation of the proposed SVE system.
Additional investigation and monitoring of the contaminated groundwater plume, through the installation of permanent monitoring wells, with quarterly sampling and analysis.

SITE REMEDIAL HISTORY

October of 1999:

An environmental site assessment indicated soil and groundwater beneath the site was contaminated with tetrachloroethene (PCE) , which is utilized in dry cleaning and spot removal processes, as well as its breakdown products trichloroethene (TCE) and cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cis-1,2-DCE).

2000:

Additional investigation confirmed that wastes had been discharged to the on-site cesspools prior to the facility's connection to the municipal sewer system.
The Volunteer excavated 500 tons of contaminated soil from within three polluted cesspools.

2002:

Dry cleaning operations at the property ceased the use of the chemical PCE.

2003:

Indoor air treatment systems installed at 3 properties.
Indoor air sampling was conducted at McVey Elementary School.
Additional investigation of nearby cesspools, downgradient groundwater and soil gas conducted by the Volunteer.
A proposal was made for removal of contamination sources at the laundromat cesspools.
SVE pilot test conducted.

2004:

Completed Supplemental Investigation Report submitted to NYSDEC and NYSDOH and was approved by DEC.
Indoor air sampling was conducted at McVey Elementary School by NYSDOH.

STATUS

The Supplemental Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study begun in May of 2003 consisted of the following items:

Geophysical Survey
Subsurface Soil Sampling beneath Slab of Dry
Cleaning Building
Investigation of Former Wastewater Disposal Systems
Soil Gas Survey
Indoor Air Quality Testing
Extent of Groundwater Contamination
Soil Vapor Extraction Pilot Study

The results and recommendations from this investigation are shown above. We expect that both of these IRMs will be implemented this summer.

The Volunteer in cooperation with NYSDOH and Nassau County Department of Health (NCDH) has conducted indoor air sampling at commercial and residential properties near the Melody Cleaners. In addition, the NYSDOH and NCDH conducted indoor air sampling at residential properties off-site in 2003, along the groundwater plume. The results of these sampling events show that most properties whose indoor air is impacted above the NYSDOH indoor air guideline for PCE are confined to properties near the Melody Cleaners site. Residential properties off-site and further away from the Melody Cleaners site have not been impacted. Residential and commercial properties whose indoor air are above the NYSDOH air guideline for PCE are being addressed with carbon air filtration units.

In March 2004 the NYSDOH and NCDH collected indoor air samples at the McVey Elementary School to determine if chemicals from the Melody Cleaners Site were affecting indoor air quality within the school. This was a follow-up indoor air sampling event to the one conducted in 2003. The latest sampling results were consistent with previous results (2003) which showed that all chemicals analyzed for were either undetected or were detected within typical background indoor air levels, and well below the NYSDOH indoor air guideline for PCE.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

The NYSDEC has all site documents available for your review at our Building 40-SUNY Office in Stony Brook, (631)444-0240, and at the following Nassau County locations:

Levittown Public Library
1 Bluegrass Lane
Levittown, NY
(516)731-5728

East Meadow Public Library
1886 Front Street
East Meadow, NY
(516)794-2570

If you have any questions, concerns or comments regarding environmental aspects of the site, please contact Brian Jankauskas, Project Manager, at (518) 402-9620. For site related health concerns feel free to contact the New York State Department of Health's Ms. Scarlett Messier at 1-800-458-1158, ext. 27870.