News Release

Dead Horse Bay Closed

Date: August 6, 2020
Contact: Daphne Yun, 917-282-9393

Brooklyn, N.Y. – Dead Horse Bay at Gateway National Recreation Area will be closed to the public in August due to the presence of radiological contamination at the site. Visitors to Dead Horse Bay use the Park for passive recreation, like walking on trails, but also conduct unauthorized digging in the soil or beach for old bottles and other items. For visitor safety, NPS will close this portion of Dead Horse Bay to the public.

The NPS is working to investigate Dead Horse Bay to identify the contamination and extent of the contamination. The NPS is following the process outlined by both the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the National Oil and Hazardous Substance Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP) to address the contamination. There are many steps in the CERCLA process, and the NPS must follow each of them. This cleanup may last many years.  

To find out more about this cleanup, please visit Gateway’s website at www.nps.gov/gate. You can also email us at [e-mail].

About Gateway National Recreation Area

Gateway is a large diverse urban park with 27,000 acres spanning Sandy Hook in N.J. and Jamaica Bay and Staten Island in N.Y. It offers green spaces, beaches, wildlife and outdoor recreation, all alongside historic structures and cultural landscapes. It is the 4^th most visited National Park Service unit with more than 9.2 million annual visitors. For more information about Gateway, visit www.nps.gov/gate.