DEC seeks to remove contaminated soil in Mineola

The State Department of Environmental Conservation wants to remove about 70 cubic yards of contaminated soil around a Long Island Rail Road substation in the Village of Mineola and replace it with clean fill.

The work is described in a remedial plan for the site at Main and Front streets where for decades the LIRR used a mercury-based device to power locomotives and electric passenger cars.

The equipment was replaced in the 1980s with a device that did not use mercury, but past work processes led to contamination, the DEC said.

More information about the plan can be found at the Garden City Public Library on Seventh Street or at the DEC Region 1 Headquarters on Circle Road in Stony Brook.