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 being acquired by 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 (National Grid) and KeySpan Energy 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
December 2025
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 Fall 2025, the Nassau Gas Works Site will enter into the Remedial Action (RA) phase of the project in which two new recovery wells will be installed in zones of potential DNAPL recovery based on visual observations made during the soil boring stage and two pre-existing wells will be relocated , rehabilitated or replaced (depending on current condition) and will be added to the recovery network. Continued DNAPL recovery is the planned remedy for the site.
The work is anticipated to take two weeks to complete.
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 November 2025, provides information about the ROD. The fact sheet can be found in the Key Documents section.
Nassau Gas Works MGP Site November 2025 Fact Sheet
Nassau Website Contact Page:
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Oliver Wolfe
Assistant Geologist
NYSDEC Div. of Environmental Remediation
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233-7017
(518) 402-9732
oliver.wolfe@dec.ny.gov
New York State Department of Health
Kari Pollard
NYSDOH
Empire State Plaza
Corning Tower Room 1787
Albany, NY 12237
(518) 486-1443
beei@health.ny.gov
National Grid Public Representative
April Dubison
SIR Community Affairs
National Grid
2 Hanson Place, 11th Fl
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.