Merrick Dry Cleaner Labeled Superfund Site By State

A dry cleaning site in Merrick has been named a superfund site by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The DEC says that the site has contaminated the ground below it with dry cleaning chemicals, and that the chemicals have infiltrated the water under the site.

The Busy Bee Dry Cleaners, at 1818 Merrick Road, is the source of the contamination, the DEC said. The groundwater on the site has been contaminated with dry cleaning chemicals, including tetrachloroethene and its breakdown products trichloroethene and cis-1,2-dichloroethene.

The site is part of a strip of businesses on Merrick Road. It is located across the street from a McDonald's, a pediatric dentist office and the Merrick post of the American Legion.

However, the DEC said it is unlikely for people to come into contact with the contaminates. The area is mostly paved, which will stop people from touching contaminated soil. And though the chemicals have infiltrated the ground water, it is not the water that is used for drinking.

For more details on the site and the contamination, click here.