Brooklyn-Queens Aquifer Feasibility Study

The Brooklyn-Queens Aquifer (BQA) Feasibility Study is a multi-phase study designed to investigate the use of groundwater from aquifers to supplement the City's drinking water supply and reduce flooding in Southeast Queens. The Study also includes a cooperative effort with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) to clean up groundwater at the West Side Corporation property, an NYSDEC Class 2 inactive hazardous waste disposal site. For further information on the BQA project, see the Project Fact Sheet.

Project Documents:

• Fact Sheet: Station 6 Modifications- November 2001
• Fact Sheet: Monitoring Wells- June 2002
• Fact Sheet: Station 6 Update- January 2005 (PDF)

Upcoming Events:

There will be no CAC Meeting in November

Community Outreach Program

The BQA Study Project Team has initiated a comprehensive, ongoing program of community outreach. Through public meetings, open houses, small group briefings, informational mailings, a Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC), and other forums, members of the public have the opportunity to voice their concerns and receive up-to-date information about the Project. (See the Synopsis of Community Outreach Program - PDF.)

The CAC, in particular, is an essential component of the Outreach Program. An advisory body made up of community partners from the public and private sectors, the CAC's purpose is to assist DEP in conducting the BQA Feasibility Study by providing guidance and input on water quality, flooding, health and related environmental issues and outreach to groups and individuals throughout the area.

CAC Meeting Minutes:

• October 6, 2005 (PDF)
• September 8, 2005 (PDF)
• June 2, 2005 (PDF)
• May 5, 2005 (PDF)
• April 7, 2005 (PDF)
• March 17, 2005 (PDF)
• March 3, 2005 (PDF)
• February 3, 2005 (PDF)
• January 6, 2005 (PDF)
• December 2, 2004 (PDF)
• November 4, 2004 (PDF)
• October 7, 2004 (PDF)
• September 9, 2004 (PDF)
• May 6, 2004 (PDF)
• March 4, 2004 (PDF)
• February 5, 2004 (PDF)
• January 8, 2004 (PDF)
• December 4, 2003 (PDF)
• October 2, 2003 (PDF)
• September 4, 2003 (PDF)
• June 5, 2003 (PDF)
• May 1, 2003 (PDF)
• April 3, 2003 (PDF)
• March 6, 2003 (PDF)
• February 6, 2003 (PDF)
• January 9, 2003 (PDF)
• November 7, 2002 (PDF)
• October 3, 2002 (PDF)
• September 5, 2002 (PDF)
• June 6, 2002 (PDF)
• May 2, 2002 (PDF)
• April 8, 2002 (PDF)
• February 28, 2002 (PDF)

Public Meeting Minutes:

• October 22, 2003 (PDF)
• November 27, 2001 (PDF)

Project Newsletters:

• 2005 (PDF)
• 2003 (PDF)

CAC Operational Guidelines (PDF)

The West Side Corporation Site

The West Side Corporation (WSC), located at 107-10 180th Street in Jamaica, was a dry cleaning storage and distribution center that handled large amounts of the chemical perchloroethylene (a.k.a. perc or PCE) between 1969 and 1982. When the business closed, it left behind spills and storage tank leaks that resulted in the seepage of hazardous chemicals, including perc, through the soil and into the groundwater.

Today, DEP and NYSDEC are working together to clean up the site. The first phase of this project, which began in mid-April 2005, involves soil remediation at the most contaminated areas of the site. For more information about the clean-up, please refer to the “WSC Documents” section below.

If you have additional questions or concerns, or would like to report an incident at the site, please contact the WSC project trailers:

Weekdays, 7 AM – 4 PM: (718) 206-2423

All Other Times: (718) 206-0424

West Side Corporation Documents:

• December 13, 2004 Public Meeting Minutes (PDF)
• Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)
• Community Notification Flyer (PDF)

Community Protection Plan:

• Main Text (PDF)
• Figures (PDF)
• Attachment A (PDF)
• Attachment B (PDF)
• Attachment C (PDF)
• Attachment D (PDF)
• Attachment E (PDF)
• Attachment F (PDF)
• Attachment G (PDF)
• Attachment H (PDF)
• Attachment I (PDF)