Contamination at the dilapidated former United Nuclear Corp. site on Shelton Avenue in New Haven is being remediated to pave the way for redeveloping the property.
The City Plan Commission recently approved the cleanup plans, which include demolishing the existing 61,000-square-foot building and removing all contaminated underlying soil from the site.
The 2.8-acre property at 71 Shelton Ave. is owned by Zsy Development LLC, whose principal is listed as Schneur Katz of New Haven.
Katz said Wednesday that work is underway and the cleanup is estimated to take six months.
When asked what plans he has for the property after the project is finished, Katz said, “We are interested in developing it, but there is nothing specific yet.”
Signs warning of a “Radiation Area” and “Danger” are on the fencing surrounding the property to caution passersby to stay away.
The U.S. Department of Energy did research and made nuclear fuel components for the military on the property from the mid-1950s through 1974, according to documents on file with the city. While there was some environmental cleanup of radioactive contamination at the site in the mid-1970s, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission reviewed the site and concluded additional remediation is needed.
A brochure prepared by the city describes the current contamination, which includes “some uranium contamination embedded in the concrete floor, fixed inside abandoned ventilation ducting, and in small chips on the building floor. The levels of contamination in these areas do not meet current standards.”
The applicant, James Van Nortwick for United Nuclear Corp. and General Electric Co., indicated to city officials that they are taking security measures to prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing the site. This includes a six-foot-high locked fence.
The material will be loaded onto shipping containers and hauled to a railroad loading facility on Middletown Avenue, then transported out of state. Any health and safety impacts are being monitored by the city’s Health Department, in consultation with the state Department of Public Health and with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s assistance, city documents show.
The city brochure calls any health risks “very unlikely,” and indicates that someone would need to be in the building close to the contamination for a long period of time. For a trespasser to have received a harmful dose of radiation, they would have had to be exposed to the contamination “24 hours a day for over two months to exceed federal limits,” according to the brochure.
Clean-up crews are starting by removing asbestos from the property, then radiation specialists will remediate the uranium contamination.
Once demolition and excavation are finished, the site will be regraded for future development.
Some city residents, like Wendy Hamilton of Greene Street, are concerned about any potential health impact from the project.
“They claim it is perfectly safe and they will monitor it, but I think it is a bad idea,” Hamilton said. “It is not just pollution, it is uranium pollution. What I am concerned about is the uranium and how they are going to break up the cement without dusting all of us. I’m concerned about air and water pollution. I’d prefer they left it alone if it is that dangerous — just cap it. If it is encapsulated in cement, it isn’t hurting anybody.”
Jerome Houser Jr., who lives across the street at 72 Shelton Ave., said he also is worried about the site cleanup impacting nearby residents’ health.
“I don’t want to get dusted, and I am worried about the neighborhood children,” said Houser. “I feel it should be encapsulated and left alone.”
Michael Piscitelli, the city’s interim economic development administrator, was supportive of the cleanup.
“A significant brownfield is being addressed in the city, which is a step forward,” Piscitelli said.
Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com