Navy agrees to more well testing near Grumman Calverton, open house set for Wednesday
Facing renewed calls for clean water, the U.S. Navy has agreed to a new round of testing private drinking wells in the shadow of a former Grumman plant in Calverton.
The Navy is seeking permission from property owners in its sampling area to test drinking wells for poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, a class of manmade “forever chemicals” that have been linked to cancers, developmental disorders and other health impacts.
The Navy is holding an open house at the Residence Inn Long Island East End in Riverhead on Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. for residents to get more information and schedule water testing appointments.
The new tests expand previous efforts to remediate contamination stemming from the 6,000-acre former Grumman site.
Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency issued new regulations for PFAS in drinking water supplies, setting maximum levels at 4 parts per trillion.
But in October, Navy officials announced it would adhere to a Department of Defense standard of 12 parts per trillion in order to prioritize cleanup in the most contaminated areas, prompting outcry from the community and calls for funding public water connections.
“There is nothing more important than the public knowing what is in their drinking water,” said Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the Farmingdale nonprofit Citizens Campaign for the Environment, in a statement.
A Navy map shows expanded testing boundaries south and east of the former Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant where Grumman tested fighter jets from the 1950s until it closed in 1996. Officials believe the contamination stems from firefighting foams used at the site.
The sampling area is “one mile in the direction that groundwater flows away” from PFAS detection sites, according to the Navy.
Property owners are eligible if they live within the boundary and draw water from a private well.
From 2016 to 2020, the Navy tested 16 private wells near the site, but the results did not exceed contamination limits triggering further action. Detections of PFOA and PFOS were found in 13 of 16 wells, ranging from 0.15 parts per trillion to 11.2 parts per trillion, according to Navy data. Those wells could now be resampled.
Last month, Sen. Chuck Schumer wrote a letter urging the Navy to commit to an “overdue and dire need” for more groundwater testing in Calverton, as well as monitor movement of chemicals toward public supply wells nearby. Schumer, in a statement Thursday, said the Navy was “receptive.”
Riverhead Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard said he was “pleased” to hear about additional testing. “Clean drinking water is absolutely essential for all our residents,” Hubbard said.
Dozens of homes in the area, though not all, have since been connected to public water supplies, including 64 in Manorville where connections are currently underway.
If PFAS detections are at or above the Department of Defense standard of 12 parts per trillion, the Navy has pledged to provide an “enduring solution, such as a whole house treatment system or connection to public water,” according to its website.
Testing will begin as soon as Thursday and the results are typically available within 30 days.
Results will be shared with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, the state Department of Health and will be available online, according to Navy spokesman David Todd.
Facing renewed calls for clean water, the U.S. Navy has agreed to a new round of testing private drinking wells in the shadow of a former Grumman plant in Calverton.
The Navy is seeking permission from property owners in its sampling area to test drinking wells for poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, a class of manmade “forever chemicals” that have been linked to cancers, developmental disorders and other health impacts.
The Navy is holding an open house at the Residence Inn Long Island East End in Riverhead on Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. for residents to get more information and schedule water testing appointments.
The new tests expand previous efforts to remediate contamination stemming from the 6,000-acre former Grumman site.
Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency issued new regulations for PFAS in drinking water supplies, setting maximum levels at 4 parts per trillion.
But in October, Navy officials announced it would adhere to a Department of Defense standard of 12 parts per trillion in order to prioritize cleanup in the most contaminated areas, prompting outcry from the community and calls for funding public water connections.
“There is nothing more important than the public knowing what is in their drinking water,” said Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the Farmingdale nonprofit Citizens Campaign for the Environment, in a statement.
A Navy map shows expanded testing boundaries south and east of the former Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant where Grumman tested fighter jets from the 1950s until it closed in 1996. Officials believe the contamination stems from firefighting foams used at the site.
The sampling area is “one mile in the direction that groundwater flows away” from PFAS detection sites, according to the Navy.
Property owners are eligible if they live within the boundary and draw water from a private well.
From 2016 to 2020, the Navy tested 16 private wells near the site, but the results did not exceed contamination limits triggering further action. Detections of PFOA and PFOS were found in 13 of 16 wells, ranging from 0.15 parts per trillion to 11.2 parts per trillion, according to Navy data. Those wells could now be resampled.
Last month, Sen. Chuck Schumer wrote a letter urging the Navy to commit to an “overdue and dire need” for more groundwater testing in Calverton, as well as monitor movement of chemicals toward public supply wells nearby. Schumer, in a statement Thursday, said the Navy was “receptive.”
Riverhead Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard said he was “pleased” to hear about additional testing. “Clean drinking water is absolutely essential for all our residents,” Hubbard said.
Dozens of homes in the area, though not all, have since been connected to public water supplies, including 64 in Manorville where connections are currently underway.
If PFAS detections are at or above the Department of Defense standard of 12 parts per trillion, the Navy has pledged to provide an “enduring solution, such as a whole house treatment system or connection to public water,” according to its website.
Testing will begin as soon as Thursday and the results are typically available within 30 days.
Results will be shared with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, the state Department of Health and will be available online, according to Navy spokesman David Todd.
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