DAVID A. PATERSON P ETER M. IWANOW ICZ 

G OVERNOR AcnHG COMMISSIONER 

STATE OF NEW YORK 


D EPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATlON 


AlaANY. NEW YORK 12233- 10 10 


DEC 2 7 Z010 

Mr. Walter Mugdan 

Director 

Emergency & Remedial Response Division 

United States Environmental Protection Agency 

Region 2 

290 Broadway - 19th Floor, E38 

New York, New York 10007-1866 

Dear Mr. Mugdan: 

Under authority delegated by the Governor of New York in 1995 to the Commissioner ofthe 

Department ofEnvironmental Conservation (DEC») I am requesting that the area encompassing 

contaminated groundwater migrating from the New Cassel Industrial Area Sites, Off-site 

Groundwater South of the New Cassel Industrial Area, Operable Unit No. 3, the General 

Instruments Corp., Site No. 130020, Operable Unit 2, and the 70-140 Cantiague Rock 

Rd.lFonner Sylvania, Site No. V00089, Operable Unit 2, be nominated to the National Priorities 

List. 

The Prc-Remedial Section, Special Projects Branch of the Emergency and Remedial Response 

Division ofthe EPA in Region 2 has initiated an investigation and hazard ranking system scoring 

cffon for the area encompassing contaminated groundwater migrating from the New Cassel 

Industrial Area Sites, Off-site Groundwater South ofthe New Cassel Industrial Area, Operable 

Unit No.3, the General Instruments Corp., Operable Unit 2. and the 70-140 Cantiague Rock 

Rd.lFonner Sylvania, Operable Unit 2. 

The New Cassel Industrial Area Sites Operable Unit No.3 area of concern, located in the Town 

ofNorth Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, encompasses the area bordering the New 

Cassel Industrial Area (NCIA) south of Old Country Road and Grand Boulevard and includes the 

Bowling Green Estates Water District well field. Disposal activities at 14 inactive hazardous 

waste disposal sites within the NClA have resulted in the disposaJ of hazardous wastes which 

have migrated from the sites to surrounding areas and contaminated the sole-source groundwater 

aquifer located to the south of the NCIA. This groundwater contamination has adversely 

impacted the Bowling Green Estates Water District well field. 

4ceors ofstewordship 19]0-2010 
2. 


The New Cassel Industrial Area Operable Unit No.3 consists of off-site groundwater 

contamination, primarily located to the south ofthe New Cassel Industrial Area (NClA), which 

is migrating from the NCIA. The other operable units are associated with the individual sites 

located within the NCIA: 

• 	 Operable Unit No.1 which identities and remediates source areas of contamination at 

each site in the NCIA. 

• 	 Operable Unit No.2 which identifies and remediates groundwater contamination at and 

beneath each site in the NCIA. 

The NCLA is located in the Town ofNorth Hempstead. Nassau County. It encompasses 

approximately 170 acres of land. The NCLA is a heavily developed industrial and commercial 

area. Development in this area dates back to the 1950's. 

A report entitled "Remedial Investigation for Off-site Groundwater in the New Cassel Industrial 

Area, September 2000" was prepared which describes the field activities and findings ofthe 

remedial investigation. This report was the basis for the State Superfund Record of Decision, 

issued by DEC in October 2003, which presented the selected remedy for Operable Unit No.3 of 

the New Cassel Industrial Area sites. The selected remedy was in-well vapor stripping, and if 

the selected remedy proved to be impractical, a contingent remedy would be installed. A PreDesign Investigation Report, dated June 2009, recommended implementing the contingent 

remedy, ex-situ extraction and treatment, due to both the technological limitations and logistical 

hurdles associated with the in-well stripping technology. The current estimate to implement the 

ex-situ extraction and treatment rcmedial program impacts DEC's ability to realize the cleanup. 

The remedial program at Operable Unit 2 of both the General Instruments Corp. inactive 

hazardous waste disposal site and the 70-140 Cantiague Rock Rd.lFonner Sylvania voluntary 

cleanup site is investigating the off-site plume that is migrating from these two sites south of 

West John Street. These two sites are adjacent to each other on Cantiague Rock Road and the 

contaminated groundwater plume from them commingles as it moves downgradient beyond 

West John Street. The off-site plume that extends to the south has not been fully delineated. It 

appears that the off-site plume that is south of West John Street and migrating from the General 

Instruments Corp. inactive hazardous waste disposal site and the 70-140 Cantiague Rock 

Rd.lFonner Sylvania voluntary cleanup site has adversely affected the Hicksville Water District 

Plant 5 well field. 

The General Instruments Corp. site is located at 600 West John Street northeast ofthe 

intersection of West John Street and Cantiague Rock Road in the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau 

County, New York. The Il.S-acre site is located in a Ijght industrial section of Hicksville, and 

was developed in 1960 for General Transistor which was subsequently acquired by General 

Instruments Corporation. The adjacent 70-1 40 Cantiague Rock Rd.lFonner Sylvania site is a 

1 O.S-acre area divided into three separate but contiguous properties located at 70, 100, and 140 

Cantiague Rock Road in the Town ofOyster Bay, Nassau County, New York. The site is 

surrounded by industrial and commercial areas to the north, south, and west, whereas a 

recreational area is located immediately east ofthe site (Cantiague Park). 
3. 


An interim report and supplemental work plan are the next deliverable under the General 

Instruments Corp. investigation. The remedial investigation is not expected to be complete until 

Spring 2011. The DEC approved' a work plan. in March 2010, to determine whether the on-sile 

SVE system has reached cleanup goals and can be shut down. This decision is also not expected 

to be complete until Spring 2011. 

The United States Anny Corps ofEngineers is performing a morc detailed analysis to determine 

which areas afthe 70-140 Cantiague Rock Rd.lFormer Sylvania site, if any. should be 

designated for a FUSRAP cleanup. Work under the Voluntary Cleanup Agreement has slowed 

as the USACE continues its investigation. 

The magnitude ofthe remedial programs encompassing the area of contaminated groundwater 

migrating from the New Cassel Industrial Area Sites, Off-site Groundwater South of the New 

Cassel Industrial Area, Operable Unit No.3, the General Instruments Corp., Operable Unit 2, 

and the 70-140 Cantiague Rock Rd.lFormer Sylvania, Operable Unit 2, greatly exceeds the 

resources available at the DEC. Consequently. the DEC requests that the USEPA nominate this 

area of concern for the National Priorities List. 

If you or your staff would like to discuss this request further. please contact Dale A. Desnoyers 

at (Si8) 402-9706. 

Sincerely, 

Peter M. Iwanowicz 

c: Dale A. Desnoyers