SOURCE:
https://www.newsday.com/long-island/towns/grumman-calverton-navy-neyddc3t
By Tara Smith - February 22, 2025
New maps released by the U.S. Navy show forever chemicals are heading straight for the Peconic River from the former Grumman plant in Calverton, prompting calls from county officials to declare the property a Superfund site to accelerate cleanup efforts.
Grumman developed fighter jets at the remote 6,000 acre site for decades until closing in 1996, leaving behind a variety of contaminants including solvents, fuel and other chemicals.
Though cleanup actions are ongoing, frustration is mounting over what one environmental activist described as a “lethargic” process.
“We are at the breaking point,” Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine said at a news conference at county headquarters in Hauppauge Friday, flanked by Riverhead Town officials and residents, health and environmental officials. “The Navy has not moved to do what it’s supposed to do, which is clean this up.”
Romaine is leading an effort urging the state Department of Environmental Conservation and federal Environmental Protection Agency to designate the property a Superfund site, which could advance cleanup measures, provide more oversight and include more input from the public.
Advocates at Friday’s news conference also called on the Navy to swiftly clean up per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, contamination, share private well testing results with the county Department of Health Services and provide funding to connect more homes to the public water supply.
These requests were spelled out in a letter Romaine sent to the Navy and other federal agencies on Feb. 11.
Navy officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
Last month, the Navy released data that shows contaminated water is migrating off the site from a former fire training area toward Swan Pond, Donahue’s Pond and the Peconic River. High concentrations of PFAS in that area may be linked to firefighting foams once used there.
Groundwater maps provided by the Navy show the chemicals were detected at 2,050 parts per trillion south of the training area moving toward the river. Last year, the EPA set maximum contaminant levels for PFAS at 4 parts per trillion for drinking water, a stricter requirement than New York State’s prior standard of 10.
The chemicals are nicknamed “forever chemicals” because they do not break down naturally. Exposure to the man made chemicals over time has been linked to decreased fertility, developmental delays, increased cancer risk and poor immunity, according to Suffolk County Health commissioner Dr. Gregson Pigott.
In 2023, the state Department of Health warned against eating fish caught in Peconic Lake and the Peconic River because of PFAS contamination, Newsday reported at the time.
Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said the Navy began investigating PFAS nine years ago and has not presented a remedial cleanup plan.
“The Navy is supposed to be protecting the public, not poisoning the public,” she said.
Last month, the Navy announced it would expand private well testing to better understand the extent of the contamination.
Riverhead Water District Superintendent Frank Mancini has asked the federal agency to contribute $2 million to extend public water to homes on River Road and install wells to provide early detection of PFAS movement toward town water wells.
Kelly McClinchy of Manorville has long advocated for clean drinking water in the area, which is nearly a reality in her neighborhood of about 64 homes as the Suffolk County Water Authority continues an ongoing project.
She said the Navy should “step up” and take responsibility by providing clean water to the remaining residents who draw water from private wells that may be contaminated.
Though McClinchy and her neighbors have relied on bottled water for drinking and cooking, she said residents must still shower and wash clothes and dishes with tap water.
“Every time you turn the faucet on, that fear is there,” she said.
