C&D Batteries Superfund Site Results in $7 Million Settlement
Deerpark. The site has lingered for decades in need of remediation.
By David Ofshinsky
On August 14, Sean Mahar, Interim Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced a $7 million settlement with Avnet, Inc., for costs related to the remediation of the C&D Power Systems (C&D Batteries) Superfund site in the town of Deerpark.
As part of a recent order on consent and administrative settlement negotiated by DEC in partnership with the Office of the New York State Attorney General, the former owner and operator of the site will pay $6.3 million towards the cost of remediation activities already underway and $700,000 for Natural Resource Damages (NRD).
"DEC is committed to cleaning up contamination at the C&D Power Systems site to ensure the protection of the public’s health and the environment for the surrounding community,” Interim Commissioner Mahar said. “The settlement with Avnet, Inc., negotiated in partnership with Attorney General Letitia James and her team, is a major accomplishment and demonstrates that New York will not back down when it comes to holding responsible parties accountable.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James said, “Our state's environment and natural resources should be clean and available for all New Yorkers to enjoy, which is why protecting them is a sacred duty. I applaud the work my team did to ensure Avnet was held accountable and paid its fair share of the C&D Power Systems State Superfund Site remediation costs. I thank Interim Commissioner Mahar and the DEC staff for their close coordination, and for their shared goal of ensuring our state's natural beauty is protected for generations to come.”
The 17-acre site was first opened by Empire Tube Company in 1959 to manufacture black and white television picture tubes. It was purchased by C&D Technologies in 1970 and used to produce lead acid batteries. All operations ceased in 2006. After a series of environmental investigations between 1981 to 2008, it was designated as a Superfund site. PCBs, hydrofluoric acid, lead, barium, cadmium have been detected there.
Following the more than 40 years of environmental scrutiny, the State-funded cleanup of the site began in December 2023 and the $9.4 million project is now scheduled for completion in early 2025. DEC will continue to provide oversight of the cleanup work to ensure protection of public health and the environment.
Community focused news can only succeed with community support. Please consider the various subscription levels.