Syosset Brownfield Site Gets Cleanup Plan From State

SYOSSET, NY — The state Department of Environmental Conservation has released a plan to clean the site of a former copper plant in the area before it is converted into warehouses.

The Syosset Park, as it is now known, is located at 305 Robbins Lane, off the Long Island Expressway. It is a vacant lot that sits between a local staging area for the state Highway Department and various Town of Oyster Bay facilities, including the animal shelter.

The lot used to be the site of The Cerro Wire and Conduit Company, which produced steel electrical conduits, hot-rolled copper rods and steel strips for the construction industry from the 1950s through the 1980s.

Studies of the site have found that it is heavily contaminated by copper, as well as chemicals used during the manufacturing process.

The lot was purchased a few years ago by Syosset Park Development, LLC to be converted into warehousing. The company will be in charge of clearing the site, with oversight from the DEC and the state Department of Health.

The plan is to place coverings over areas that do not already have hardscape (asphalt or concrete) to prevent further contamination, and then importing clean material to fill the site.

Due to the isolated nature of the property, and the fact that it is fenced off, the DEC said there is little risk to the public.