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YONKERS, N.Y. Consolidated Edison and state officials will soon begin their investigation into the former Ludlow Street Works site to determine what, if any, cleanup is needed.
The power company is expected to begin testing the former manufactured-gas plant this month as part of a larger voluntary cleanup agreement with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Officials say a 2010 survey of the area at 162 Downing St., now owned by the Yonkers Department of Public Works and used as a storage yard, featured various amounts of soil pollution. As a result, officials said further investigation was necessary to determine whether the contaminants posed a health threat.
The investigation is expected to include the collection of soil and groundwater samples, with a majority of the work coming on the property of the DPW facility. Health officials said any risk of public exposure to the contaminants is very low as they are usually found many feet beneath the surface.
Regardless, during these field activities, extensive efforts will be made to protect the community from potential hazards, the DEC said in a news release about the study.
The Yonkers investigation is part of Con Eds efforts to target several sites throughout the state that housed manufactured-gas plants.
Used from the early 1800s to mid-1900s, these plants typically produced gas from coal and oil. The gas was stored, and then piped to the surrounding area, where it was used for lighting, cooking, and heating in homes and businesses, the DEC says.
The production of manufactured-gas created wastes, some of which may still remain on the site, according to the DEC.
The Ludlow Street Works testing is expected to last until December. If contaminants are found in levels warranting a cleanup, a plan will be developed and presented to the public for review.
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