Administrative Order Issued for Cleanup of English Station Site in New Haven
DEEP and Attorney General say current and previous owners have
responsibility to address contamination
Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and Attorney General George Jepsen announced today that current and previous owners of the former English Station power plant site in New Haven have been issued an administrative order requiring them to take action to clean up that property.
The property, located at 510 Grand Avenue, New Haven, contains the former electric generating plant and a warehouse. The parties named in the order include the current owners, Asnat Realty, LLC of Bayside, N.Y. and Evergreen Power, LLC, of Wilmington, Md., as well as Quinnipiac Energy, LLC; Grant Mackay Demolition; and the United Illuminating Company, which previously owned the site.
The order states that the current and previous owners must make a full investigation of the contamination on and emanating from the site, submit a remediation plan for DEEP approval that is in compliance with federal and state laws and regulations, and remediate the site in accordance with the approved plan.
“English Station has been a potential source of pollution to Fair Haven and the waters of the state for too long. It must be cleaned-up by all those responsible for its present condition,’’ said Attorney General George Jepsen. “My office will assist Commissioner Esty in his efforts to make the site safe for the community and the environment.”
“It’s time for action at the English Station site,” said DEEP Commissioner Daniel C. Esty. “Those responsible for the contamination in the ground there must clean it up in order to eliminate any environmental and public health risks and to allow that site to be put back to productive use. We appreciate the support of the Attorney General’s office in helping us achieve that objective.”
The plant is shut down and access to the property has previously been limited pending submission of a remediation plan to clean up extensive contamination by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a known carcinogen, heavy metals, and other contaminants.
A cease- and-desist order issued by DEEP against the current owners and their contractors in February, 2012, required the buildings and grounds to be secured and access strictly limited to individuals involved in investigation and remediation activities.
The DEEP issued the cease- and-desist order to block demolition of the plant and to assure that contamination would not be spread. Until the site is decontaminated, the agency said, demolition would create a significant risk of spreading toxic chemicals and pose an imminent threat of harm to public health and the environment.
In December, after a series of incidents in which trespassers and vandals gained access to the site in an effort to remove metal piping and other materials with value, DEEP and the Attorney General’s Office obtained a court order requiring the owners to provide around-the-clock security until an acceptable security plan is in place.
Materials taken from English Station are potentially covered with PCB contamination, which could pose health risks to anyone who handles or is exposed to them.
AT DEEP, the PCB Program in the Bureau of Materials Management and Compliance Assurance and the Remediation Division in the Bureau of Water Protection and Land Reuse have been engaged in matters related to the English Station site.
Assistant Attorneys General Matthew Levine and Sharon Seligman, with Kimberly Massicotte, head of the OAG’s Environment department, worked on this matter with the Attorney General and DEEP.
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Media Contacts:
Office of the Attorney General: Susan E. Kinsman 860-808-5324 (office) 860-478-9581 (cell)
Department of Energy & Environmental Protection: Dennis Schain 860-424-3110 (office) 860-808-5318 Facebook: Attorney General George Jepsen Twitter: @AGJepsenConsumer Inquiries: