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Edgemere Landfill
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Edgemere Landfill
Edgemere Landfill is a former municipal landfill located in Edgemere on the Rockaway peninsula in Queens, New York City. It is located on a man-made peninsula on the Jamaica Bay shoreline, at the eastern end of the Rockaway peninsula. A portion of the site is open to the public as Rockaway Community Park (formerly Edgemere Park). The entire site is owned by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.
The landfill began operations in June 1938, merging several islands in the Jamaica Bay marshland and connecting them to the main Rockaway Peninsula. Shortly afterward, a portion of the site was used as the Rockaway Airport. Edgemere Park was conceived for the landfill site in the 1950s by New York City Parks Commissioner Robert Moses, as part of the infrastructure for the adjacent Edgemere Houses housing project. The site, along with several other planned parks in the city, continued operations as a landfill in order to fill the marshland for park development. The small portion of Rockaway Community Park adjacent to the Edgemere Houses was developed in the 1960s. During its operation, the landfill was a dumping site for toxic chemicals and waste oil, and served as a hazard to nearby John F. Kennedy International Airport by attracting birds. Following the discovery of toxic waste drums in the landfill in 1983, the landfill was declared a Superfund site. It was closed in 1991 and capped afterwards.
The peak of the landfill is the tallest point in the Rockaways, measuring 70 feet (21 m) high. The landfill is claimed to be "the longest continuously operating dump in the United States", accepting waste from 1938 to 1991. It is also one of the oldest landfills in New York City, and was the second-to-last city landfill to remain in operation. The final landfill, Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island, closed in 2001.
The Edgemere Landfill is located on the north side of the Rockaway Peninsula in the Edgemere neighborhood near Arverne at the east end of the Rockaways. The landfill site consists of a smaller peninsula, which extends northward into Jamaica Bay at the east end of the bay. Smaller bodies of water within the bay form the peninsula's western and eastern sides. To the west is Somerville Basin which runs between the peninsula and Dubos Point in Arverne to the west. To the east is the Norton Basin which runs between the landfill and Bayswater to the east. At the south end of Norton Basin are two smaller water bodies, Conch Basin (formerly Little Bay) to the west at the base of the landfill site, and a smaller Norton Basin to the east next to Bayswater Park. All three water bodies end at about Beach Channel Drive.
The landfill site can be described as a large "head" section, which contains the main landfill mound and extends into Jamaica Bay, and a "neck" section which connects the peninsula to the Rockaways. According to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, the combined park and landfill site is 255.40 acres (103.36 ha) in size. The size of the landfill is often stated as 173 acres (70 ha). Its shoreline extends 2 miles (3.2 km). The landfill is covered by grassland, with several roads circumscribing the site, and running across the landfill. The grass is mowed once a year, allowing for the inspection of the landfill to search for gas leaks. The peak of the landfill measures 70 feet (21 m) high, the highest point on the Rockaway Peninsula. Because of this, it is one of the only sites in the area not in a flood-prone zone. The peak is still lower than the highest point of the former Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island, which is 170 feet (52 m).
During its operation, the Edgemere Landfill received a total of 9 million cubic yards (6.9 million cubic metres) of waste. The landfill is one of the three major landfills located along Jamaica Bay. The other two are the Pennsylvania Avenue and Fountain Avenue Landfills located in Brooklyn. Located directly across the landfill to the north are the ends of Runways 4L and 4R of John F. Kennedy International Airport. During the landfill's operation, the presence of gulls feeding off the garbage at the site posed a hazard to planes operating to and from the airport. Bird species found at the landfill include the American herring gull and the laughing gull, and the short-eared owl.
At the base of the main landfill is the only open portion of Rockaway Community Park, located on the north side of Almeda Avenue across from the Ocean Bay Apartments housing project, formerly known as the Edgemere Houses. The developed park occupies approximately 15 acres (6.1 ha) of land. An additional 25 acres (10 ha) of land were released by the Department of Sanitation for recreational use in 2010. A "natural area" is situated to the north of the developed park, located in the "neck" area between the park and the former landfill.
Two smaller parcels of undeveloped parkland extend south on the west and east sides of the park towards Beach Channel Drive. The westernmost parcel is a rectangular plot between Beach 58th Street and Somerville Basin. The easternmost parcel is triangular in shape, on the Conch Basin coastline between Beach 51st Street and Elizabeth Avenue. These two plots are also considered the "West" and "East" natural areas of the park. The southernmost portion of the western plot is used as the Rockaway Youth Task Force Community Garden. Just south of the eastern parcel is Conch Playground, located adjacent to Public School 105 between Beach Channel Drive and Elizabeth Avenue.
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Edgemere Landfill
Edgemere Landfill is a former municipal landfill located in Edgemere on the Rockaway peninsula in Queens, New York City. It is located on a man-made peninsula on the Jamaica Bay shoreline, at the eastern end of the Rockaway peninsula. A portion of the site is open to the public as Rockaway Community Park (formerly Edgemere Park). The entire site is owned by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.
The landfill began operations in June 1938, merging several islands in the Jamaica Bay marshland and connecting them to the main Rockaway Peninsula. Shortly afterward, a portion of the site was used as the Rockaway Airport. Edgemere Park was conceived for the landfill site in the 1950s by New York City Parks Commissioner Robert Moses, as part of the infrastructure for the adjacent Edgemere Houses housing project. The site, along with several other planned parks in the city, continued operations as a landfill in order to fill the marshland for park development. The small portion of Rockaway Community Park adjacent to the Edgemere Houses was developed in the 1960s. During its operation, the landfill was a dumping site for toxic chemicals and waste oil, and served as a hazard to nearby John F. Kennedy International Airport by attracting birds. Following the discovery of toxic waste drums in the landfill in 1983, the landfill was declared a Superfund site. It was closed in 1991 and capped afterwards.
The peak of the landfill is the tallest point in the Rockaways, measuring 70 feet (21 m) high. The landfill is claimed to be "the longest continuously operating dump in the United States", accepting waste from 1938 to 1991. It is also one of the oldest landfills in New York City, and was the second-to-last city landfill to remain in operation. The final landfill, Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island, closed in 2001.
The Edgemere Landfill is located on the north side of the Rockaway Peninsula in the Edgemere neighborhood near Arverne at the east end of the Rockaways. The landfill site consists of a smaller peninsula, which extends northward into Jamaica Bay at the east end of the bay. Smaller bodies of water within the bay form the peninsula's western and eastern sides. To the west is Somerville Basin which runs between the peninsula and Dubos Point in Arverne to the west. To the east is the Norton Basin which runs between the landfill and Bayswater to the east. At the south end of Norton Basin are two smaller water bodies, Conch Basin (formerly Little Bay) to the west at the base of the landfill site, and a smaller Norton Basin to the east next to Bayswater Park. All three water bodies end at about Beach Channel Drive.
The landfill site can be described as a large "head" section, which contains the main landfill mound and extends into Jamaica Bay, and a "neck" section which connects the peninsula to the Rockaways. According to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, the combined park and landfill site is 255.40 acres (103.36 ha) in size. The size of the landfill is often stated as 173 acres (70 ha). Its shoreline extends 2 miles (3.2 km). The landfill is covered by grassland, with several roads circumscribing the site, and running across the landfill. The grass is mowed once a year, allowing for the inspection of the landfill to search for gas leaks. The peak of the landfill measures 70 feet (21 m) high, the highest point on the Rockaway Peninsula. Because of this, it is one of the only sites in the area not in a flood-prone zone. The peak is still lower than the highest point of the former Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island, which is 170 feet (52 m).
During its operation, the Edgemere Landfill received a total of 9 million cubic yards (6.9 million cubic metres) of waste. The landfill is one of the three major landfills located along Jamaica Bay. The other two are the Pennsylvania Avenue and Fountain Avenue Landfills located in Brooklyn. Located directly across the landfill to the north are the ends of Runways 4L and 4R of John F. Kennedy International Airport. During the landfill's operation, the presence of gulls feeding off the garbage at the site posed a hazard to planes operating to and from the airport. Bird species found at the landfill include the American herring gull and the laughing gull, and the short-eared owl.
At the base of the main landfill is the only open portion of Rockaway Community Park, located on the north side of Almeda Avenue across from the Ocean Bay Apartments housing project, formerly known as the Edgemere Houses. The developed park occupies approximately 15 acres (6.1 ha) of land. An additional 25 acres (10 ha) of land were released by the Department of Sanitation for recreational use in 2010. A "natural area" is situated to the north of the developed park, located in the "neck" area between the park and the former landfill.
Two smaller parcels of undeveloped parkland extend south on the west and east sides of the park towards Beach Channel Drive. The westernmost parcel is a rectangular plot between Beach 58th Street and Somerville Basin. The easternmost parcel is triangular in shape, on the Conch Basin coastline between Beach 51st Street and Elizabeth Avenue. These two plots are also considered the "West" and "East" natural areas of the park. The southernmost portion of the western plot is used as the Rockaway Youth Task Force Community Garden. Just south of the eastern parcel is Conch Playground, located adjacent to Public School 105 between Beach Channel Drive and Elizabeth Avenue.
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