DEC: Remove Port Washington Dry Cleaning Site From Superfund List

PORT WASHINGTON, NY — State environmental regulators proposed Wednesday removing the site of a Port Washington dry cleaner from the state's Superfund program, saying it's no longer dangerous for public health or the environment. The Chez Valet Cleaners Site on Manorhaven Boulevard, near Shore Road, has been on the state Department of Environmental Conservation's registry of inactive hazardous waste disposal sites for years. The dry cleaner operated at the complex from the 1970s to 2006 and has since been taken over by Country Cleaners.

The site consists of a one-story building built in 1926 that covers about 6,500 square feet. The northern space was occupied by Chez Valet Dry Cleaners and a salon used the other space. A parking lot covers the remaining portions of the property and a residential property neighbors the site to the north.

Beginning in 2004, investigators found perchloroethylene, or PCE, pollution in the soil vapor and groundwater at the site, environmental regulators said. PCE is a nonflammable liquid frequently used by dry cleaners and to remove grease from metal. Most people can smell the chemical when it is present in the air at a level as low as 1 part per million in the air.

Breathing in high levels of the chemical for a short period of time can cause dizziness, drowsiness, headache, and incoordination, according to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. At higher levels, people can fall unconsciousness or even die.

Long-term exposure at low levels of the chemical can lead to changes in mood, memory, attention, reaction time and vision. Furthermore, studies suggest that exposure can lead to a higher risk of getting bladder cancer, multiple myeloma or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Animal studies have shown the chemical affects the liver and kidneys, and changes brain chemistry.

The chemical can be released into air, water and soil and breaks down very slowly, allowing it to travel long distances in the air.

In 2011, a sub-slab depressurization system/soil vapor extraction system was installed at the Port Washington site to remediate it.

State regulators listed three reasons to remove the Manorhaven Boulevard site from its hazardous list.

1. Remedial and mitigation actions were taken to address potential contamination exposures in
   groundwater and soil vapor
2. Data shows the potential for exposures to residual site contamination is "no longer a concern" and further actions are not necessary.
3. Groundwater contamination fell below groundwater standards and multiple years of indoor air and sub-slab vapor monitoring indicated that exposures from soil vapor intrusion into the indoor air of the on-site building are "no longer a concern."

Regulators invited the public to comment on its proposal to remove the site from the registry. Public comments will be received before a decision is finalized.

The public comment period will end Aug. 28. Those who want to provide written comments can send them to Brian Jankauskas, P.E., Project Manager, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Environmental Remediation, 625 Broadway, 12th Floor, Albany, NY 12233-7015; brian.jankauskas@dec.ny.gov; or call (518) 402-9626.

The agency said it will remove the dry cleaning site from the list on or after Sept. 27 if no new or additional information is presented during the public comment period that changes its proposal.

Donald Markowitz, owner of Country Cleaners and who took over the site, told Patch on Thursday he bought the place about six years ago and that regulators had been conducting tests about every six months. Upon taking over the place, he immediately installed a new machine that doesn't use PERC products, and emits no smell.