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).
This website provides information on the Former Nassau Gas Works MGP, the remediation projects and opportunities for public participation. National Grid is committed to the protection and enhancement of the environment, always seeking ways to minimize the environmental impacts of our activities including the past activities of our subsidiaries. We hope this website, a part of our public participation and outreach efforts, is helpful and informative. If you need additional information or have suggestions to make our website better, please contact the individuals listed under Contact.
For more information about the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Manufactured Gas Plant Site program go to: http://www.dec.ny.gov/ chemical/8430.html
Updates
March 2024
The Record of Decision (ROD) for the Site was issued by the NYSDEC in September 2020. The approved remedy for the Site includes a surface cover, institutional controls, and dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) recovery.
Beginning in April 2022, the Nassau Gas Works MGP Site entered the Pre-Design Investigation (PDI) phase of the project in which six recovery wells were installed in zones of potential DNAPL recovery. Recovery wells were installed at depths determined by the visual observations made during the soil boring stage. After installation, recovery wells were developed and gauged for the presence and thickness of DNAPL immediately prior to and after well development. Recovery wells are monitored on a monthly basis and DNAPL recovery is conducted as needed to prevent the DNAPL from over topping the sumps.
The PDI report was approved on March 6, 2024. A Remedial Action Work Plan (RAWP) was a requirement of the PDI report approval and the RAWP to install additional Recovery Wells will be submitted to the NYSDEC in Spring 2024.
For more information on the activities mentioned above, please leave a message on our hotline at (718) 982-7349.
Project Description
The Fact Sheet, dated September 2020, provides information about the ROD. The fact sheet can be found in the Key Documents section.
Nassau Gas Works MGP Site September 2020 Fact Sheet
Nassau Website Contact Page:
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Greta White
Project Manager
NYSDEC Div. of Environmental Remediation
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233-7017
(518) 402-2029
greta.white@dec.ny.gov
New York State Department of Health
Stephanie Selmer
NYSDOH
Empire State Plaza
Corning Tower Room 1787
Albany, NY 12237
(518) 402-7864
beei@health.ny.gov
National Grid Public Representative
April Dubison
SIR Community Affairs
National Grid
2 Hanson Place, 11th Flr
Brooklyn, NY 11217
april.dubison@nationalgrid.com
Nassau Works MGP Project Hotline
Telephone – (718) 982-7349
Please leave a message on the Hotline and your call will be promptly returned.