STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A contaminated site in Port Richmond once used to store hazardous materials will be remediated by the end of the year.
On Monday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, alongside Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn) and State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D-North Shore/South Brooklyn), broke ground on a project to remove contaminated soil and remediate an area known as the Staten Island Warehouse site, located near the Bayonne Bridge.
“The collective team’s dedication and support have been essential to getting this project going, and this project would not be moving without that team effort,” said U.S. Army Corps Col. Alex Young. “As we look to the future of this site, our commitment to protect the health and wellbeing of this community and the environment remains unwavering.”
The site, which was used as part of the country’s early atomic weapons and energy programs, stored high-grade Belgian Congo uranium ore on the borough’s North Shore from 1940 through 1942.
The United States Department of Energy identified contamination at the property in 1980, though it was not made eligible for the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) until nearly three decades later in 2009.
“This site has been an issue for as long as I’ve been alive and I’m pleased that we’re finally seeing the necessary remediation work taking place to clean up the site, prevent any erosion into the Kill Van Kull waterway and prepare the site for future positive uses,” Malliotakis said.
The site was officially added to the FUSRAP in 2021, allowing the Army Corps of Engineers to perform an inspection that uncovered erosion in the northwest corner that could potentially cause hazardous materials to seep into nearby waters.
Preparation of the site began in late October, with the Army Corps now moving to excavate contaminated soil that will be disposed of at a landfill designed for hazardous materials, followed by a full…
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