June 10th-Kings Plaza and Marine Park

According to the NYSDEC, on the plot to the east of Kings Plaza, Presto Plastics and a Standard Motor Oil Terminal both had facilities. Plus the entire site is covered with “historic landfill” contaminated with PAHs or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The NYSDEC remediation database states that the tanks and other equipment associated with the petroleum bulk storage have been excavated and those areas filled with clean soil. Now a Lowe’s is being built on that site.

A “soil vapor barrier and a sub slab soil vapor depressurization system” are required for the site by the NYSDEC. Looking at the site from Avenue U, I wondered if this was the soil vapor barrier.

To take a break from toxicity, Nina and I then headed to the salt marsh in Marine Park. About 10 blocks from Kings Plaza, it is beautiful and full of life.

We saw these Black-Crowned Night Herons as well as an egret.

There were hundreds of crabs as well has horseshoe crabs. It gave me some idea of what the rest of Brooklyn’s waterfront might have looked like esp the Gowanus area before industrialization.