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Cleanup to begin for Beechhurst soil

By Stephen Stirling

The DEC said interim remedial activities will begin shortly at 151-45 6th Road to remove an underground petroleum storage tank that has remained dormant for several years. The tank removal is expected to take about a week.The site, which borders Little Neck Bay to the north, is currently used by several light industrial companies, including Globis Bus, US Towing, Ken-Ben Towing, Ras Dairy, Nicmanda Trucking and Tempa Construction.Historically, the site has been used by several potential sources of environmental contamination, including an asphalt plant that operated from 1952-92, a metal shop and for the last three decades, a maintenance garage for truck, bus and other vehicle repairs.The DEC said several soil samples have been taken from the site, which have identified a number of “volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds,” as well as metal deposits throughout the soil on the site. The DEC said several areas of concern have been identified related to past and current uses of the site and include underground storage tanks, affected groundwater and soil fill brought in during past remediation efforts.The DEC said the interim remediation set to take place will solely center around the removal of one petroleum tank on the site as well as any other “non-emergency site conditions that can be undertaken without extensive investigation.”The remediation is expected to begin within the next 30 days, the DEC said.The state Brownfield Cleanup Program encourages the voluntary cleanup of contaminated properties so they can be reused and redeveloped. A brownfield is any real property difficult to reuse or redevelop because of the presence or potential presence of contamination.Reach reporter Stephen Stirling by e-mail at Sstirling@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.