Unknown

Site Description[1] 
The Site is located in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, abuts the East River, and is
approximately 2 acres in size. It is presently occupied by commercial businesses. Multi-unit
residential housing (condominiums) are present north of the Site; Kent Avenue, multi-unit
residential housing, and commercial properties are located east; commercial properties are
located south; and the East River and Wallabout Channel are located west of the Site. An 1887
Sanborn map shows a MGP on the Site with the notation “Used for Storage Only.” By 1904, the
MGP was no longer present and an unrelated sugar refinery was operating on the site. The site
subsequently was used as a brewery and then for warehouses.

Site Characterization
The principal contamination targeted by the site characterization is coal tar, which is the primary
byproduct associated with manufactured gas sites. Coal tar is a brownish to black liquid with an
odor similar to driveway sealer. It contains a variety of environmental contaminants including
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene
(BTEX).

Background
In 2007, National Grid (then KeySpan) entered into a consent order (#A2-0552-0606) with the
NYSDEC that requires National Grid to investigate and where necessary, remediate former gas
manufacturing and storage sites. The Peoples MGP site is one of the manufacturing sites
included in the consent order.
In Spring 2011, National Grid will begin a site characterization to determine whether any
contamination related to the former gas manufacturing operation exists in the soil or groundwater
beneath the site. Site characterization activities will include drilling of soil borings, installation
of groundwater monitoring wells and test pits, and collection of soil and groundwater samples
for chemical analysis. All work will be done under the oversight of NYSDEC and the
NYSDOH