Ravenswood Generating Station (Photo: wikimedia commons Rhodo Dendrites (CC BY-SA 4.0)
July 28, 2020 By Allie Griffin
Astoria residents are making plenty of complaints about the air quality of the neighborhood, according to a new study of 311 data.
Astoria residents logged the third most complaints among neighborhoods citywide for air quality issues, according to a study conducted by Amast, an online marketplace.
Residents sent in 132 complaints related to air quality to 311 from the beginning of 2020 through June 15.
The neighborhood follows the Greenpoint/Williamsburg area in Brooklyn and the Upper West Side of Manhattan, which ranked first and second respectively.
Residents of the north Brooklyn neighborhoods submitted 175 complaints about poor air quality in 2020 through June 15. Many of the complaints concern fumes from idling cars and trucks, according to the report.
Upper West Siders filed a total of 151 air quality complaints to 311 over the same time frame. The bulk of those complaints were also related to idling vehicles and car exhaust fumes. It’s a significant decrease from last year, however, when residents logged 262 complaints, landing the Upper West Side in the number one spot.
Meanwhile, Astoria wasn’t even in the top 10 last year when residents filed just 91 complaints on the topic to 311.
The uptick in complaints could be caused by heavy development in the area which led to higher traffic and pollution and as a result, poor air quality, the report speculates.
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3 Comments
I can say with complete confidence that a minimum of 10% of these air quality complaints in Astoria were in reference to the noxious odor consistently emanating from United Astoria Halal Live Poultry, located on 31st St. between 36th and 37th Ave. This self-definted “halal” slaughterhouse has struggled to contain the pungent smell of animal feces for years, especially on hot summer days when it plagues a 3 block radius around the facility.
“The uptick in complaints could be caused by heavy development in the area..” I think it has to do more with the “whiny” young white progressives who moved in. They complain about everything including the noise and traffic now that they are stuck working from home and just exercising their privilege because it is easier to do online or on the phone. You overpaid for an apartment by Con Ed and sewer plants because you could not afford Manhattan, Brooklyn and LIC. Did you think you were going to breathe fresh air?
We are so close to Con Ed, LGA and the sewer plants. The ditmars area often has a sewer smell. I can often breathe much easier when i visit other places. I do not know how people can tolerate outdoor dining in Astoria. All the traffic makes it worse also.