DEC to test for contaminants at East Hampton airport property

East Hampton officials have given the state permission to determine whether the town's airport property contributed to groundwater contamination in the area. Credit: Randee Daddona
East Hampton Town will grant the state Department of Environmental Conservation formal permission to access the town-owned airport site to determine whether the property contributed to groundwater contamination in the area.
The town board voted 5-0 at a Tuesday work session on a resolution authorizing Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc to sign a consent form with the state agency. That agreement will permit the DEC to enter the East Hampton Airport property on Daniels Hole Road in Wainscott and perform tests like soil sampling to determine the source of the contamination.
Perfluorinated compounds known as PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) and PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) have been detected in nearby private wells. The chemicals are found in fire suppression foam and are suspected to have been discharged during firefighting drills at the airport.
Earlier this month, Van Scoyoc said the number of private wells in Wainscott with trace or elevated levels of the contaminants had grown to 135, or more than half of those tested.
Exposure to the chemicals could affect the immune system, fetal health and cause other problems, the Environmental Protection Agency has said.
The town is working with the Suffolk County Water Authority to bring public water to the area. In the meantime, the municipality is offering bottled water to affected residents.
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