State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office released an audit of the Brownfield Cleanup Program on Wednesday, June 20, which said several sites, including some in Nassau County, have taken more than 10 years to clean up and have “posed significant threats to health and the environment where delays did not appear to be reasonable.”
The audit recommends stronger timelines, accountability measures and greater public transparency, as 17% of the 518 active projects reviewed in the program statewide had been in the program for more than 10 years as of October 2023. At that time, there were 669 active sites in the Brownfield Cleanup Program.
In Nassau County, five of 20 active sites being redeveloped for companies and homes are taking more than 10 years to complete and one has taken more than 17 years. Nassau has 47 total sites listed in the cleanup program’s database.
The 25 longest-running projects have been in the program between 17 and 20 years, including one project in Nassau, according to the audit. Four of the 25 were found to pose one of the highest threat levels that the state assigns to contaminated sites.
The audit said delays were due to failed remediation efforts, financial hardship and incomplete documentation and other reasons. It also said that because contamination may spread over time, the delays could lead to contamination of neighboring properties, sources of drinking water, or other important natural resources, as well as hazardous exposures to people who may live or work near the site.
The Nassau property that has taken more than 17 years to clean and redevelop is the former Klein Cleaners at 69 Birch Hill Rd., Locust Valley.
The former Darby Drugs Distribution Center at 80-100 Banks Ave. in Rockville Centre, two sites at 230 Duffy Ave. in Hicksville and Prospect and Bryant avenues in Sea Cliff have all been worked on for over 10 years as well.
Brownfields are properties where a hazardous substance is present at levels exceeding the Department of Environmental Conservation’s clean-up standards or other health-based or environmental standards applicable to the expected use of the property. The clean-up program was established to encourage and accelerate voluntary private-sector cleanup and redevelopment of sites.
“By encouraging private parties to clean up contaminated sites across the state, the Brownfield Cleanup Program has helped remove environmental threats and put abandoned properties back to productive use, but delays in remediating properties may allow contaminants to spread, put residents’ health and safety at risk and cost the state more money,” DiNapoli said.
The audit found that some reasons for the delays were due to remedial actions failing, the Department of Environmental Conservation rejecting certain reports submitted by the applicant, owners experiencing financial difficulties that delayed progress and a general lack of progress.
“The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation can strengthen its oversight and establish clear policies and criteria to ensure clean-up projects do not languish, are completed timely and program participants are held accountable,” DiNapoli said about the audit’s recommendations.
