Former Nassau Gas Works Manufactured Gas Plant Site

The Nassau Gas Works MGP was operating by 1873 and ceased operations prior to 1935. Historical records indicate that an independent company, the Nassau Gas Light Company, operated the plant before merging into The Brooklyn Union Gas Company in 1895. The Brooklyn Union Gas Company is still an operating gas utility and is a subsidiary of National Grid USA Service Co., Inc. (National Grid) and KeySpan Corporation (KeySpan), which are both existing holding companies. National Grid acquired KeySpan in August 2007. Although The Brooklyn Union Gas Company still exists, National Grid is the name most widely recognized by the public and it will be the name for the Company to refer to its current activities.

The plant used coal and petroleum products to create a flammable gas which was piped into the surrounding neighborhoods. The gas was used for cooking, lighting, heating and commercial purposes. The Brooklyn Union Gas Company sold the MGP Site to the United States Navy to accommodate ship-building operations at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1941 and has had no further involvement with the Site.

The former MGP Site footprint occupies approximately 3.25 acres of land within the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC) leases property from the City and operates the Brooklyn Navy Yard industrial complex.

Remedial investigation activities completed to date at the former MGP Site have encountered coal tar, which is the primary by-product 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, ethyl benzene, and xylene (BTEX).

For more information on the key findings of the Final Remedial Investigation Report, the report can be found under
Major Reports.