Plans to redevelop a former power plant in New Haven into a waterfront park are now on pause. That’s due to a legal dispute between state environmental officials and the plant’s former operator, United Illuminating, over how much the site needs to be cleaned up.
English Station started to generate electricity in 1929 by burning coal and later, oil. The plant has been out of use since 1992, but it's contaminated with chemicals known as polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, that can stay in the soil, water and air for years.
PCBs can be found in electrical equipment, transformers and building materials like caulking. The man-made chemicals are known to cause cancer in animals and are classified as a probable carcinogen to humans by the Environmental Protection Agency.
PCBs in the soil can seep into the water, accumulate in fish and get passed on to humans, according to Keri Hornbuckle, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Iowa.
“That's how a small amount of release from the sediment results in a big concern,” Hornbuckle said. “By the time you have a large, old fish, it has accumulated so much PCBs that the EPA and many state health agencies have released consumption advisories for people that we shouldn’t be eating those fish.”
What’s next for English Station
It’s likely any redevelopment plans at the site will be on hold for the immediate future.
In 2016, a partial consent order required United Illuminating to clean up PCBs inside English Station to a level of 1 parts per million or less. But last week, a judge ruled that the terms of the cleanup were ambiguous and sent the case back to the state to clarify the cleaning standards.
Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection argues the cleanup levels apply to all items inside the station that contain PCBs. But UI says the order extends only to spots where PCBs were spilled. In order to meet the standards set by DEEP, UI says it would need to demolish the plant. In court documents, the utility said demolition was not part of the original cleanup agreement.
“DEEP wrongfully changed the standard for clean-up that was agreed upon nearly a decade ago,” wrote UI spokesperson Sarah Wall Fliotsos in a statement. “Ultimately, clean-up of this site cannot be achieved without clarity on the standard we are working towards. As this issue is remanded for further proceedings, we hope to be able to work in good faith with state officials to chart a clear path forward for UI’s role in the future of English Station.”
As part of next steps, DEEP and UI will both introduce evidence to explain their understanding of the disputed cleanup standard, according to a spokesperson for the state Attorney General’s office.
Áine Pennello is a Report for America corps member who covers the environment and climate change for Connecticut Public.
