Lead Stories, News

Outrage sparks Con Ed Rye Yard cleanup

After several complaints from Rye residents about garbage from a Con Edison facility polluting a local waterway, the company has cleaned up the mess, according to the assistant city manager.

Assistant City Manager Eleanor Militana told the Review the energy company was quick to dispatch staff to remove debris after viewing photographs of the area that were submitted by a city resident.

Militana added that much of the larger debris at the location was removed on April 13.

Con Edison has removed garbage and debris from a waterway located off its Con Ed Rye Yard facility on Theodore Fremd Avenue following several complaints from residents. Photos courtesy Jonathan Simandl
Con Edison has removed garbage and debris from a waterway located off its Con Ed Rye Yard facility on Theodore Fremd Avenue following several complaints from residents. Photos courtesy Jonathan Simandl

“I drive past it every day and am angry on what a dump [Con Edison’s] location looks like,” said resident Jonathan Simandl.

The Con Edison Rye Yard, at 176 Theodore Fremd Ave., is located directly across the street from the Rye Nature Center, a city-owned facility. The center is located on 47 acres of wildlife preserve, and covers several ponds and streams that are in proximity to Blind Brook.

The waterway located off the facility where the garbage was removed is not connected to any water route at the nature center, however.

“We should always be concerned about our waterways,” said Councilwoman Julie Killian, a Republican, who also mentioned that the debris might have been at the location for as long as six weeks. “Going forward, we need it to stay clean and keep pressure on Con Ed to do so.”

Militana added that the city has requested Con Edison to establish a schedule for refuse removal so future accumulation doesn’t occur.

Kevin Frazier, a representative from the state Department of Environmental Conservation, could not be reached for comment as of press time.