Rockland Psychiatric Center Brownfield Clean-up Complete: NYDEC

PEARL RIVER, NY — The clean up of 61 acres at the old, long-closed Rockland Psychiatric Center is complete, New York environmental officials announced Tuesday.

The "core area" had 32 derelict buildings abandoned in the 1990s when the state closed the RPC. In all, they totaled 1.1 million square feet. They were used for patient housing, kitchen and dining areas, therapy and recreational activities and furniture. Most of the buildings contained basements and utility and patient tunnels.

The 61-acre "core area" was part of the 600-acre Rockland Psychiatric Center which began operations in the early 1930s.

The RPC operated as a self-contained/self-sustaining facility, providing its own power, water and wastewater treatment for many years. Additionally, the RPC farmed to grow its own food, manufactured furniture and other items for sale and had its own recreation facilities. The facility was decommissioned by the New York State Office of Mental Health in the early 1990s.

Surface soils around the buildings were found to contain elevated concentrations of a number of metals including lead, barium and copper. PCBs, semi-volatile organic compounds and pesticides were detected in site soils but less frequently and in lower concentrations.

The clean up included demolition of buildings, tunnels, roads and walkways and the removal of the top foot of structurally unsuitable soil.

The site is zoned for commercial use.

To the north, the site is bordered by Convent Road with commercial establishments and residential housing on the other side. To the east: the Broadacres Golf Club, the Blaisdell Addiction Treatment Center and the current Rockland Children’s Psychiatric Center. To the south and southwest, respectively are the Nathan Kline Institute and recreational fields for the Town of Orangetown. To the west are buildings that supported the former RPC, such as the powerhouse, wastewater treatment building, service buildings, and a fire station, followed by decommissioned landfills/forested areas and then Lake Tappan. To the northwest is the former Children’s Psychiatric Center.

The nearest residential properties are just across Convent Road, DEC said.