The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has officially finalized its long-term groundwater cleanup plan for the Fulton Avenue Superfund Site in Garden City Park, bringing a major chapter in the area's environmental recovery one step closer to closure.

After years of investigation, community input, and interim cleanup work, the EPA has now committed to a strategy focused on long-term monitoring, new groundwater restrictions, and tracking the natural breakdown of harmful chemicals left behind by industrial activity decades ago.

What’s in the Final Plan?

The plan, formally called a Record of Decision, builds on earlier work that began in 2015. That earlier phase targeted contamination caused by perchloroethylene (PCE)—a chemical commonly used in dry cleaning and industrial degreasing. The finalized plan goes a step further, expanding cleanup efforts to include trichloroethylene (TCE), another toxic chemical often associated with similar industrial uses.

Key elements of the final plan include:

• Installing two new monitoring wells to better track the movement and levels of contamination.
  
  
• Long-term groundwater monitoring, allowing scientists to confirm that contamination is decreasing over time thanks to natural processes like dilution and breakdown.
  
  
• Restrictions on groundwater use, including limits on installing private wells, to prevent people from being exposed to contaminated water.

These steps are designed to protect public health while allowing nature to continue doing some of the cleanup work—an approach the EPA determined to be the best balance of safety, environmental impact, and feasibility.

The Fulton Avenue site has been under scrutiny for years. Between 1965 and 1974, a fabric-cutting mill operated at the 0.8-acre property, using industrial solvents like TCE and PCE. Over time, those chemicals leached into the soil and made their way into the groundwater, including public water supply wells.

In 2015, the EPA designated the location as a Superfund site, initiating an interim cleanup effort. However, continued testing later revealed that TCE contamination was more extensive than originally thought, prompting the need for a more comprehensive, final plan.

The newly finalized cleanup plan came after a 30-day public comment period, as well as a public meeting held on July 24, 2025, where residents had a chance to ask questions and provide input. Feedback from the community played a role in shaping the final version of the plan.

While the plan doesn’t call for active groundwater treatment (like pump-and-treat systems), it emphasizes monitoring and prevention. By tracking contaminant levels and limiting how groundwater is used, EPA aims to ensure that residents aren’t exposed to harmful substances while the groundwater naturally recovers.

Residents interested in learning more can review the full Record of Decision, the EPA’s responses to public comments, and additional background materials on the Fulton Avenue Superfund Site profile page.