Rockville Centre letters to the editor, week of August 9, 2012

We must stop the Grumman plume

To the Editor:

We are writing to update the community about the status of a contaminated groundwater plume that is emanating from the Northrop Grumman Corporation and the U.S. Navy sites in Bethpage. We also urge you to write to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Governor Cuomo, opposing the DEC’s Proposed Remedial Action Plan for OA-3 (PRAP) and demanding that Grumman and the Navy, as the “principal responsible parties,” be required to more accurately delineate the scope of the plume, hydraulically contain the plume from migrating any further and treat the groundwater to pre-contamination levels.


The Nassau County Coalition of Civic Associations, the Seaford Harbor Civic Association and the Massapequa Water District hosted a presentation on July 19 by Massapequa Water District Commissioner John Caruso and the attorney for the Bethpage Water District, Anthony Sabino, on the status of this plume. About 170 people attended. Nassau County Legislator David Denenberg spoke out against the PRAP and joined our plea to treat the contaminated plume. Representatives of U.S. Congressman Peter King and state Sen. Kemp Hannon attended the meeting.  U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer has been instrumental in getting the Navy to clean up the site and submitted a statement in that regard. State Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr. was unable to attend, but submitted a statement advocating a complete cleanup of the plume.

The Grumman plume is severely impacting the Magothy aquifer, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has designated as a “sole source aquifer.” Unless this highly toxic plume is contained and fully remediated, it is only a matter of time before the plume contaminates more public-water wells, as well as the Great South Bay. The PRAP will not stop the migration of this plume. Assemblyman Joseph Saladino spoke about legislation he sponsored with Assemblyman David McDonough directing the DEC to expedite cleanup of the Bethpage site.

  The DEC held hearings in Bethpage to explain its estimated $61.5 million PRAP to remove 90 percent of the contaminants and halt the flow of a toxic underground plume from the former Grumman waste disposal site in Bethpage. The proposal focuses on a 3.75-acre parcel of Bethpage Community Park, which for years was used to dispose of paint, oily waste, chromium-tainted sludge, arsenic, solvents and other compounds. It is expected to be paid for by the principal responsible parties. We believe anything less than removal of 100 percent of the contaminants would be unacceptable.

Claudia Borecky

Secretary

Phil Franco

Chair of the Grumman/Navy Committee

Nassau County Coalition of

Civic Associations