Gas used for cooking, lighting, heating and commercial purposes was manufactured at the Citizens Manufactured Gas Plant from the 1860’s to the early 1960’s.  The plant was built by the Citizens Gas Company, and sold to Brooklyn Union, a predecessor of National Grid, in 1895.  The plant used coal and petroleum products to create a flammable gas which was piped to users in the surrounding neighborhoods. The production and storage facilities were decommissioned and demolished in the early 1960’s, and Brooklyn Union sold the site in 1969, after which it had no control of anything that happened on the property. The by-products of gas production and storage that resulted from site operations will be addressed through a Remedial Plan being implemented by National Grid with the oversight of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC).  Most of the site is owned by the City of New York, with the balance owned by private companies.  National Grid is responsible for the investigation and remediation of the site because it was operated by a predecessor company at the time the contamination occurred. 

This website provides information on the Citizens former MGP Site, the remediation projects and opportunities for public participation. National Grid is committed to the protection and enhancement of the environment, always seeking ways to minimize the environmental impacts of our past, present and future activities. We hope this website, a part of our public participation and outreach efforts, is helpful and informative. If you need additional information or have suggestions to make our website better, please contact the individuals listed under Contacts.

National Grid will provide an activity update for neighbors of the Citizens former MGP site as developments related to the remediation of the site warrant. The update will describe the work that has been done, and provide an outlook and schedule for upcoming work, including information about any work that may impact normal community activities. The Report Archive section under the Key Documents tab of this website will include all of the Updates.

Remedial Design: Pre-Design Field Investigation

Pre-Design Field Investigations are ongoing at the former Citizens MGP as part of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) approved Remedial Design Work Plan (RDWP).  Work includes the installation of geotechnical borings to gather information required for the design of retaining structures in the areas to be excavated, product collection test wells to define NAPL collection rates and properties, and test pits to better define subsurface structures and existing bulkhead conditions.  The site is broken down into four parcels as follows:

• Parcel I: Smith and 5th Streets
• Parcel II: Hoyt St along Gowanus Canal
• Parcel III: Smith and Huntington Streets
• Parcel IV: Hoyt and 5th Streets.

Activities Week of 7/19-23/2010:

• Completed sampling of groundwater monitoring wells in the off-site area.  A surface water sample was collected in the adjacent Gowanus Canal during the groundwater sampling event.

Future (two week look-ahead) activities:

• Gauge monitoring wells at the Citizens MGP Site and surrounding areas.
• Install soil borings in the Gowanus Canal adjacent to Site.

Related Activities

The demolition of the warehouse and recovering of the area with crushed stone on Parcel III undertaken by the owner of the property is reported to be completed. Maintenance of the property and parcel security are the responsibility of the owner. To prevent trespassers from accessing the now vacant parcel, we agreed with the owner to place a security fence around the parcel. This work has been completed.