Jackson Steel is a former metal manufacturing facility that operated in Mineola and North Hempstead, New York from 1970 to 1991. EPA added it to the Superfund National Priorities List in February 2000, partly because it sits next to a daycare center, apartment complex, and other occupied buildings. The site was deleted from the list on September 26, 2016, after cleanup work met federal standards.
The main contaminants are cleaning solvents, specifically tetrachloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethylene (TCE), and 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA). These volatile organic compounds (VOCs) affected soil, groundwater, and indoor air. EPA identified 49 total contaminants of concern across the site, also including pesticides, heavy metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The contaminants are present in soil, groundwater, and buildings.
Cleanup involved several steps. Air sampling in 2001 found elevated PCE inside the daycare center, prompting EPA to install a vapor intrusion mitigation system there in January 2002. A similar system went into a neighboring billiards club. From 2005 to 2006, workers removed 170 cubic yards of contaminated soil, sump materials, and dry well contents. A soil vapor extraction system ran from 2005 to 2013 and pulled out roughly 83 pounds of VOCs. Groundwater was treated with chemical oxidation and air injection between 2005 and 2006. The vapor intrusion systems were replaced by the property owner in May 2016, and deed notices restricting future land use were recorded in July 2016.
Human exposure is under control, and groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable risk to surface water. Physical construction of the cleanup is complete across the entire site. EPA's most recent five-year review, completed in January 2022, confirmed the remedy continues to protect human health and the environment. The next review is scheduled for January 2027.
Community members who want to learn more or ask questions can contact the EPA's Remedial Project Manager, Eugenia Naranjo, or Community Involvement Coordinator, Shereen Kandil. Site records are available in person at the EPA Records Center in New York City, the Town of North Hempstead municipal office in Manhasset, the Garden City Public Library, and Village of Mineola Hall.
