STATEN ISLAND, NY-
Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) on Nov. 6 joined 6 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Col. Alex Young and State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton to kick off the remediation of the Staten Island Warehouse site, located in the Port Richmond section project of Staten Island’s North Shore, that includes excavation of contaminated soils, disposal at a landfill designed for the hazardous materials and full restoration of the site.
The Staten Island Warehouse site was used as part of U.S early atomic weapons and energy programs. A company by the name of African Metals Corporation stored high-grade Belgian Congo uranium ore at the site from 1940-1942. In 1980, the U.S. Department of Energy identified contamination of the property, but it was not made eligible for the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) until 2009.
Last year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued an action memorandum to implement the removal of contaminated soils that had the potential to erode into the Kill Van Kull waterway. It is estimated that the remediation will be completed in one month.
“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.”This is just one of many projects the U.S. Army Corps has underway that will benefit Staten Island, including New York City watershed infrastructure upgrades to ensure our drinking water is clean. Additionally, permits for the Staten Island East Shore Seawall have been issued and solidification of bids for the first phase are planned for early next month, and I’m proud to have helped secure funding for dredging projects in Great Kills Harbor and Arthur Kill Terminal that will improve boat safety, flood mitigation and economic activity. I’m excited to see that these upgrades and improvements are being made for our community”.
“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”, U.S. Army Corps Col. Alex Young said. “The site was added to the FUSRAP in 2021, and that provided the authority for us as the Corps of Engineers to further address the site. Following our first inspection on the site in 2021 to determine the site condition, our team noted the erosion at the northwest corners. Based on those results, our team completed the action memorandum documenting that decision to move forward with the time critical removal. Our team finally mobilized about two weeks ago on October 23 to begin site preparations. The actual project will involve excavation of the contaminated soils, and then the disposal followed by the restoration of the site. It’s anticipated to be completed by the end of the year, maybe a little bit quicker…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. We’ll continue to work with our partners at the federal, state and local level to solve the nation’s toughest engineering problems”.
“I want to thank Col. Young and the Army Corps of Engineers for getting something done and getting something started that has been in the works for over 80 years”, State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton said. “They can get it done before the end of the year and that’s truly remarkable and they deserve all the credit and praise for the work they’re doing here on Staten Island. It will be such a wonderful opportunity here at the Staten Island Warehouse to finally be able to have our North Shore beautiful waterfront utilized again. We have some of the most important waterfront properties across Staten Island and this is a wonderful opportunity to really give it the attention it deserves by remediating something that started in 1940”.
