The former Grumman-Navy site in Calverton is rife with pollution left over from its industrialpast. Unlike some forms of pollution, the chemicals present do not break down for generationsand are linked to various cancers and organ maladies.
These forever chemicals (PFAS and 1,4-dioxane), found in plumes stemming from the site, nowstretch out far from their origins. And every moment we delay allows them to inch further intoour groundwater, contaminating drinking wells and surface water.
For 30 years, the Navy has delayed cleanup efforts. Even as Bethpage and other former Navysites attracted national headlines, the Navy refuses to seriously acknowledge the problem inCalverton. Well, Bethpage shows us we have options.
The health and well-being of Suffolk residents is not negotiable. I intend to pursue all avenues toensure that the United States Navy takes accountability for the condition of the Grumman-runsite and the neighboring contaminated land.
Forever chemicals can be mitigated to safe levels. It is a costly process that first involvesknowing the full scope of the problem, which is impossible to grasp without full cooperationfrom all parties involved. The United States Navy delayed releasing its latest fish sampling datafor one year.
The specific site is also a deep recharge area, meaning contaminants have a chance to penetratethe ground deeply as well as laterally. Current test wells have PFAS numbers well in excess ofthe state level of 10 parts per trillion – some wells have reached thousands of parts per trillion.One test well also found 1,4-dioxane at 10 times the state drinking water standard, withcontamination entering the Peconic River.
The data collected by our well drilling and sampling teams paints a far worse picture than anydata the Navy has publicly released to date. [Editor’s note: See April 29 story,“Romaine warns Navy: Suffolk ‘has options’ and will not wait forever on Calverton cleanup”]
Fishing in neighboring Swan Pond is already prohibited due to PFAS found in the water and fish,an escalation from previous warnings. Since 2023, Peconic Lake’s fish advisory of “do not eatmore than 1 meal/month of Yellow Perch” has been in effect due to elevated PFASconcentrations. Without swift action to clean up contaminated source areas and the toxicgroundwater plumes, more prohibitions may be put in place along the Peconic River to protectresidents’ health.
Other East End residents now fear for the mutually shared Peconic Bay and what inaction couldmean for their health. These fears are substantiated by Suffolk County Department of HealthServices (SCDHS) tests from 2026 showing surface water PFAS concentrations in the PeconicRiver are substantially higher than samples collected in 2024, with PFNA up to 19 times higher,PFOS up to 25 times higher, and PFOA exhibiting up to 5 times higher concentrations than thoseobserved by the SCDHS two years earlier.
I urge the Navy to take accountability and begin moving forward with remediation, as was donewith Bethpage.
Source: RiverheadLOCAL
