If you have listened to or watched the local news lately, you have likely heard about the recent Legionella outbreak in late-October in Flushing, Queens, NY, which infected 14 individuals with Legionnaires’ Disease.  A total of 55 cooling towers were designated as possible bacterial transmission sources.  10 out of the 55 aforementioned cooling towers were tested… Read More

If you are the owner or customer of Fill Material Transfer Stations (FMTS) or C&D Facilities in the state of New York, you will be impacted by the new NYCRR Part 360 Ruling. It has been over a year since changes to Part 360 were proposed.  After a round of workshops, public hearings and submission… Read More

When following the news lately, you may have noticed that Legionella is back in the local health reports.  A Legionella-related infection occurred on Friday, June 9th at a New York City Police Department precinct in East Harlem.  One officer became infected and required hospitalization and treatment.  Subsequent testing of the potable water at the precinct… Read More

The Public Comment period for Proposed Changes to NYS SEQRA regulations is open until May 19, 2017. Make your voice heard! NYSDEC has proposed new changes to the NYS SEQR law which governs environmental reviews of planned projects. While NYSDEC has characterized these changes as “modest”, and with the intent to “streamline the process”, some… Read More

In February a New York business and one employee were convicted for violating the New York State Environmental Conservation Law (ECL). The business and employee illegally disposed of hazardous materials and waste at their facility. Both the employee and facility were indicted with endangering public health, safety or the environment for the crimes and paid… Read More

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection requires all businesses to report hazardous substances stored, processed, handled or used on-site on a yearly basis. Did you miss the March 1st filing deadline for your business’s 2016 Community Right-to-Know? Unfortunately, with non-compliance comes heavy fines: – First-time Violators often see a penalty of $250-$2,500 –… Read More

Long Island’s groundwater has recently been reported to contain elevated levels of 1,4-dioxane. As discussed in Walden’s recent blog, “How will the 1,4-Dioxane in my Drinking Water Affect my Health?“, 1,4-dioxane, a probable cancer causing chemical, has been detected in drinking water at concentrations exceeding health based levels. What are the origins of 1, 4-dioxane… Read More

The presence of 1,4-dioxane in drinking water has recently been a topic of public concern for residents of Long Island, New York. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) classifies 1,4-dioxane as a probable human carcinogen, or a likely cancer-causing substance. According to publicly available water quality reports from 2013 through 2015, elevated concentrations of… Read More

  On April 25, 2016, Chemical Bulk Storage (CBS) registration requirements at new facilities became mandatory for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA-acid), ammonium perfluorooctanoate (PFOA-salt), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS-acid), and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS-salt) with amendments to 6 NYCRR Part 597. Effective on March 3, 2017, the aforementioned compounds shall be added to 6 NYCRR Section 597.3, the list… Read More

Do you store gasoline or diesel at your work site? Nassau County has changed the governing agency for gasoline and diesel underground and aboveground storage tanks. Previously, anyone who wanted to install a petroleum bulk storage (PBS) underground storage tank (UST) or aboveground storage tank (AST) in Nassau County was required to submit Professional Engineering… Read More