For immediate release: Wednesday, February 19, 2020
For more information contact: Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, Cell: 631-384-1378, aesposito@citizenscampaign.org
Newsday investigation demonstrates Navy & Grumman knowingly allowed the public to drink toxic water
Farmingdale, NY—Newsday released comprehensive coverage and previously undisclosed documents verifying the US Navy & Grumman knew toxic chemicals from their operations were contaminating groundwater and putting public health in jeopardy. Their response was to perpetrate a decades-long cover up. Despite their own consultants warning them of contamination of drinking water wells, they chose to ignore their obligations to protect the public and kept the contamination a secret.
The Grumman/Navy Bethpage Plume is the largest on Long Island, 4.3 miles long, 2.1 miles wide, and as much as 900 feet deep. The plume travels under parks, schools, homes, businesses, and is contaminating drinking water supply well for thousands of residents. Citizens Campaign for the Environment is calling on our state and federal leaders to take immediate action and bring forth criminal charges against the Navy and Northup Grumman.
Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, Citizens Campaign for the Environment released the following statement:
“If an individual poisoned their neighbor’s drinking water well or dumped toxic chemicals in a reservoir system, they should face criminal charges. The cover up and lies by the Navy and Grumman caused Bethpage residents to drink dangerous chemicals, thereby harming countless families and victimizing the Bethpage community. The only way to prevent this from happening again, is to hold polluters accountable for their actions, even when those polluters include the federal government. A fine or a slap on the wrist is not enough. Authentic safeguards are needed to stop the pollution of our drinking water. Like any other criminal who endangers the welfare of the public, polluters should go to jail for their crimes. The Bethpage/Grumman plume clean up is crucial to protect the community’s health in the long term however, criminal charges are necessary to give justice to all the families impacted by the Navy and Grumman cover up over the last 40+ years and to prevent this from happening again to other innocent communities.”
