DEP exterior building cleanup program status report, Oct 2002

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

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t^< A y 77 New York City Department of Environmental Protection Bureau of Environmental Compliance

Exterior Clean-up Program

As announced in May as part of the downtown cleanup program, DEP took on the responsibility of cleaning identifiable WTC debris from the exterior of buildings in the downtown area. Out of the 1073 buildings inspected by DEP, 319 buildings were identified as clean up candidates. Since June when DEP initiated the exterior clean up program, 159 buildings have been cleaned to date. These 159 buildings represent over 2 million square feet of World Trade Center debris as having been removed from exterior of buildings. Ninety-seven buildings have been cleaned by building owners and confirmed cleaned by DEP inspectors after conducting an inspection of each building. DEP currently has 33 buildings in the process of being cleaned or in the queue to start within the next week. Approximately 30 building owners/managers remain on the list to take advantage of this program before DEP takes action outside the scope of the program. DEP expects to complete the program by the end of October.

Unoccupied Buildings with Visible Debris

The NYCDEP has undertaken the interior cleaning activities of the remaining unoccupied buildings. Site-specific cleaning activities were developed. Two contracts were awarded, one for the cleaning activities and one for the project monitoring and testing.

On September 12, 2002, the cleanup activities of 125 Cedar Street were initiated. These clean­ up activities included provisions for pre- and post-clean up environmental sampling. Department representatives met with tenants and discussed clean up activities. Walkthrough visits were performed with tenants on multiple days and efforts were coordinated with tenants and the building management. The cleaning activities are still underway. On Thursday, October 3, 2002, Department representatives completed a preliminary inspection of the building and identified some areas that required additional clean up efforts. The cleaning of the residential portion of the building is in its final stage. Re-occupancy will not be approved until the cleaning meets our satisfaction and the post-cleaning environmental sampling meets the clearance criteria levels. Final testing has begun with a target date of 10/31 for re-occupancy.

The Department has met with representatives and residents of 114 Liberty Street and discussed cleanup options. The Department has performed site visits, surveys, and assessments and has developed the scope of work for the cleanup of the apartments, the HVAC systems, and the project monitoring and environmental sampling. The developed documents were sent to the building management and residents and further actions are pending their response.

EPA HOTLINE

The DEP acted as the procurement entity for the US EPA with respect to the establishment of their HOTLINE, which became operational on June 3, 2002. The HOTLINE, originally scheduled to end on September 3,2002, has been extended twice and will be available to the

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