Wantagh Cleaners Site Contaminated, State to Clean It Up

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is seeking public input before it puts forward a plan to clean up the Wantagh Cleaners, a dry cleaning facility that has contaminated the soil and ground beneath it with dry cleaning chemicals.

The DEC has found high concentrations of dry cleaning chemicals in the soil and water beneath Wantagh Cleaners, located at 920 Wantagh Ave. in Wantagh. The chemicals found include tetrachloroethene (PCE), trichloroethene (TCE) and Cis 1,2- dichloroethene (Cis 1,2-DCE). Exposure to PCE can irritation of the skin, eyes and throat, the CDC says, and chronic exposure can cause long-term problems to those areas, as well as birth defects and cancer.

Before the DEC puts forward its remidiation plan, which it estimates will cost $2.9 million, the organization is inviting comment from the public. There will be a public meeting on Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. at the Wantagh Public Library, located at 3285 Park Ave. In addition, residents can submit written comments until Feb. 9 to Joseph Jones, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233 or by emailing joseph.jones@dec.ny.gov. In addition, questions about the health risks of the site can be sent to Dawn Hettrick, Empire State Plaza Corning Tower Rm 787

Albany, NY 12237, or by emailing BEEI@health.ny.gov.

In order to remove the contaminants, the DEC is proposing soil vapor extraction, as well as treating the area with other chemicals to break down the contaminants. The adjacent structure on the west of the Wantagh Cleaners property, a 7-Eleven, will be required to have a sub-slab depressurization system, or a similar engineered system, to mitigate the migration of vapors into the building from soil and/or groundwater, the DEC said.

This is not the first time the Wantagh Cleaners has been forced to clean up by the DEC. It had similar problems back in 1995. For more information about the site, click here.

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