Public can comment on Huntington brownfield cleanup

The state Department of Environmental Conservation is inviting the public to comment on a draft work plan of a brownfield site cleanup at a former funeral parlor at 71 New St. in Huntington village.

The site is occupied by a publishing company in a professional office building and is bordered by New Street to the east and residential and commercial property on the other sides. Previous DEC investigations have detected selected semi-volatile organic compounds, metals and formaldehyde in the soil and groundwater there.

The building was built before 1900 and was originally used as a single-family home, then a funeral parlor from 1930 to 1977. The site’s use as a funeral parlor may have led to the release of chemicals used in the embalming process, such as formaldehyde, phenols, mercury and arsenic, into the subsurface through interior and exterior drainage structures, according to the DEC.

Copies of the project documents can be found at the Huntington Public Library or online. The DEC will accept comments through June 2 by mail to NYS DEC Project Manager John Sheehan, SUNY at Stony Brook, 50 Circle Rd., Stony Brook NY 11790. Comments can also be submitted by email to John.Sheehan@dec.ny.gov.