In the spirit of the season, the Athenica Team wants to give thanks to all of our wonderful clients who make our growth not just possible, but worthwhile. May this Thanksgiving be as joyful as you deserve, and the start of a happy holiday season and an even happier new [...]

New Proposed Rule Regarding E-Designation Site Compliance Do you own or manage a property with a New York City E-Designation for which the remediation program included engineering or institutional controls? The New York City Office of Environmental Remediation (OER) has issued a proposed rule regarding enforcement of their requirement [...]

USEPA Proposes a Total Ban On Chrysotile Asbestos   On April 5, 2022 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) proposed a new regulation that would prohibit the use, manufacturing, import, processing, distribution in commerce, and commercial use of chrysotile, one of the six forms of asbestos, that is also known [...]

Athenica Project Focus: NYC Parks and Recreation Athenica has been retained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) to provide comprehensive environmental services at multiple parks, playgrounds, and logistical facilities in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens. Services being provided to NYC Parks include due [...]

New Lead Standards Take Effect Dust which accumulates from lead based paint is a major source of lead poisoning in children. Lead dust hazards are identified by performing a risk assessment to quantify lead concentrations and identify potential exposures to lead. After proper abatement of lead hazards, a final dust [...]

Athenica Environmental is going on a virtual field trip for Earth Day, Thursday April 22nd and you’re invited! Take some time out of your day at 9am EST on Earth Day - April 22nd to visit Bangledesh where the global NGO Pure Earth is cleaning up severe lead pollution from [...]

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Ken Wenz, a Professional Geologist and Senior Project Manager in Athenica’s HazMat Division, recently had the opportunity to share information about his career choice with fifth grade students from the Charles E. Schwarting Elementary School in the [...]

Why Do I Need a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment? A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) is a useful resource for a new property acquisition or the refinancing of an existing property, providing the property owner with investment and liability protections. Phase I ESAs assess the potential for [...]

Local Law 31 – A Hard Deadline for NYC Lead Testing On August 9th, NYC passed Local Law 31 of 2020, strengthening NYC lead prevention laws and precedents set by Local Law 1 of 2004. Local Law 1 was initially implemented to eliminate childhood lead based paint hazards. This new [...]

A Meeting of Smoke and Storms Have you noticed that the sky above NYC has looked different over the past few weeks? Athenica Environmental Scientist Marissa Palmer took this photo yesterday while waiting for a 7 train. The thick haze blocking the sun and obscuring the Manhattan skyline is actually [...]

Athenica Hazmat Project FocusAthenica has been retained to design sub-slab depressurization systems (SSDSs) for two separate properties in Brooklyn. One of these parcels is currently a vacant lot that will be redeveloped for affordable housing, and the other is a 3-story mixed-use building with a commercial space on the ground [...]

Athenica Remains Active During COVID-19 Pandemic First and most importantly, all of us at Athenica hope that this newsletter finds you and your loved ones healthy and safe during these challenging and trying times! We are open and continue to assist our clients with their projects in New York [...]

NYSDEC Releases Guidelines for Sampling and Analysis of PFAS The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Division of Environmental Remediation (DER) has published guidance for sampling and analysis of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), at sites being addressed under remedial programs implemented under 6 NYCRR Part 375, [...]

Regulatory Updates, Brownfields, Emerging Contaminants, and Remedial TechnologiesOn November 21, the HazMat division of Athenica attended the Long Island Association of Professional Geologists’ (LIAPG) workshop. This event included presentations by representatives from public agencies and private industry, and provided updates about expected revisions to New York State’s environmental regulations, information [...]

New York City Announces Water Conservation Grants The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) recently announced the Water Conservation and Reuse Grant Pilot Program, for property owners who install water-conserving plumbing upgrades, such as low-flow fixtures or water reuse systems, in commercial, industrial, or multi-family buildings in New [...]

NYCOER Announces Compliance Initiative For E-Designation Sites Do you own or manage a property with a New York City E-Designation for which the remediation program includes engineering controls, such as an active Sub-Slab Depressurization System? If so, there is likely a Site Management Plan that was put in place [...]

New York State Proposes Drinking Water Standards For Emerging Contaminants On July 10, 2019, the New York State Department of Health proposed drinking water standards for three emerging contaminants, including 1,4-dioxane at 1 part per billion, and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) at 10 parts per trillion for [...]

New requirements for Lead in Dust Standards The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene initiated a new standard for lead dust clearance and lead dust lead hazard risk assessment testing in New York City effective June 11th, 2019. These new standards apply for all clearance dust [...]

USEPA Releases Draft Guidance For PFOA/PFOS In GroundwaterThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has published draft interim recommendations for addressing groundwater containing perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and/or perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), at sites being remediated under federal environmental programs (e.g., RCRA, CERCLA/Superfund). These two compounds are synthetic chemicals that are used in, [...]