Dan's Papers - September 12, 2008 - 1,000,000 Gallon. 'Treated' Water in Bay, Every Day

With cleanup at the Sag Harbor Manufactured Gas Plant site (MGP) about to start September 22, Dan's Papers took a close look at a N.Y. State Department of Health (DoH) report of the contaminates in the water below the site which are to be treated and then released into the harbor. Up to 750,000 to 1,000,000 gallons per day will pass through a long, well marked pipe into Sag Harbor's outer cove area near the breakwater. The pipe will end about 600 feet east of the North Haven's southeastern shore at the inlet that leads into Sag Harbor Bay.

The word "tar" is used throughout the report, but deeper into the document, it is explained that the tar is actually more like motor oil. The report actually states that a component of "some MGP tars" is in fact ferric-ferro-cyanide. What was most alarming was the following line: "While not dangerous in its bound form, certain conditions can release free cyanide, causing an exposure and risk both for humans and the environment." Since the overall plan laid out in the August 2008 Fact Sheet released by the DoH calls for the contaminants to meet state limits before discharge into the harbor, the questions are: What is the established "safe limit" for toxic waste byproducts released into a harbor? How do they make the decision of how much poison is OK?

Also in the MPG tar are traces of BTEX compounds - benzene, toluene, ethlbenzene and ylenes - all of which are soluble in water. Although Renata Ockerby of the DoH assured me that the levels released would be within state limits, it was unclear what constitutes accepted levels for release of cyanide and the other Btex compounds. Also, there was no evidence of tests done to read the current levels of the toxins already in Sag Harbor Cove nor what effect this will have on the wildlife (fish) in those waters - even at accepted minimal levels.

With a million gallons a day being poured into the harbor perhaps a closer look would be prudent. And perhaps that investigation should be headed up by sources other than the state officials who have set the guidelines for hundreds of these cleanups in upstate locations, for example, where the water in the Hudson River was destroyed by General Electric Co., and is still not cleaned up. The question isn't about Ockerby's integrity, but her scope - it is important to know what is being tested for and what is not.

With the use of foams, and other "engineering controls" to control the release of contaminants in vapor form as well as dust, this project hinges on the mantra of "acceptable levels." What is an acceptable level? After all, we're talking about the center of one of the jewels of the East End, Sag Harbor (not to mention, the pristine community of North Haven) - not Bayonne, New Jersey. Although there has been a lot of openness to this process, there has also been some tap dancing around a few controversial aspects. Two paid consultants at the last public meeting at Pierson Middle-High School were actually monitoring all comments made to me by the representatives there. In fact, they "edited" those comments, layering the answers with vagaries and legalese. The poorly attended meeting showed either a lack of concern or interest, or an inordinately high level of satisfaction with the competency of our New York State health officials in dealing with multi-billion dollar international businesses with lobbyists who, with a rule change here and there, can save a few dollars.

By going to sagharbormgpsite.com, one will find more than a few alarming aspects to this project. Perhaps there is no failsafe way to totally clean up toxic waste. Perhaps something is better than doing nothing, but make no mistake about it, the procedures to be followed - the process used at hundreds of sites - was negotiated with the goal of getting results without ruining companies. The fact that the State DoH will be monitoring the air around the site is a warning that this isn't just another landfill project. There must be hugely dangerous elements; otherwise the extreme measures being taken with tents, plastic bags, foams and other twilight zone clean-up procedures would not be in effect, and the effort wouldn't be so heavily monitored.