Public gets update on MacArthur Airport Superfund status
Jeffrey Szabo, CEO, left, and Joe Pokorny, deputy CEO for operations, right, from the Suffolk County Water Authority, speak to concerned residents during a community forum held at MacArthur Airport about the water quality and superfund site designation on Thursday. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
Visitors to a packed community forum at Long Island MacArthur Airport on Thursday night expressed cautious relief after speaking to government and environmental officials about the Ronkonkoma airport’s recent designation as a state Superfund site.
MacArthur had been listed as a possible Superfund site in 2018 over concerns that past use and storage of a chemical found in firefighting foams could have contaminated drinking water supplies.
Last month, the state Department of Environmental Conservation designated the airport as a Superfund site after detecting perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, "at levels that exceed applicable standards," a spokesperson said in February. The state Superfund Site program, according to the DEC website, aims to identify suspected sites with hazardous waste and make sure they're properly addressed. The DEC investigates sites where hazardous waste may have been disposed of with the goal to determine potential threats to public health or the environment.
The DEC confirmed last month the detection of "significant" chemical contamination in groundwater and soil. Town and environmental officials have emphasized that public water there is safe to drink and there is currently no public health risk.
Residence of the area and others at the forum spoke with DEC officials as well as other state and local representatives about their concerns over water quality issues, the significance of a Superfund designation and what comes next for cleanup at the airport.
Derek Stein, 27, of Central Islip, said he rushed to the forum straight from work and described it as "helpful," although he would have preferred the push to inform the public had come a few years earlier.
"I think that's why they got so much turnout today," he added.
Jeffrey Szabo, chief executive of the Suffolk County Water Authority, said for customers of the agency, "your water is safe to drink."
"If you're on a private drinking water well not connected to us," he said, "you should get it tested."
Holbrook resident Shawn Melendez, 42, lives about a block from the airport. He attended the forum out of concern for his drinking water but left feeling reassured.
"I think everybody who spoke to us gave us a pretty fair and straight answer," he said.
Vanessa Thidemann, 48, also of Holbrook, came away from the forum with a sense of relief.
"Since the water is always being treated anyway, I'm really not concerned," she said. "It's definitely lessened my concerns, coming and getting this information."
Representatives from the state Department of Health, Suffolk County Water Authority, the airport’s environmental consultant and the Town of Islip also attended the forum.
Officials from different agencies manned informational boards and answered questions. A presentation set up by the Suffolk County Water Authority was especially popular, with locals packed around agency representatives.
John Swartwout, a representative from the DEC's division of environmental remediation, said the agency has conducted forums in a similar format before and he's found it helps alleviate community concerns.
"It's really made to allow people to directly interact with the sort of experts on the subject and on the site, and get their questions answered," he said.
The airport was listed as a possible Superfund site in 2018 over concerns over past use and storage of perfluorooctane sulfonate, or PFOS, the chemical found in firefighting foams used at airports.
The substances, also known as "forever chemicals" because they don’t breakdown easily, have been linked to immune system problems, cancers and other health impacts, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Fifteen acres of potential concern were evaluated at the airport and a few have been retained for further study during the remedial investigation.
According to the airport's environmental consultant Arcadis, "the only contaminants of concern that exceeded regulatory screening levels in site soils were PFAS," and more specifically, PFOS and PFOA.
Similarly, the only contaminants of concern that exceeded regulatory screening levels in groundwater were PFAS, the consultant said.
DEC officials have said the agency is negotiating an agreement with Islip to clean up the site. Once the investigation is complete, a remedial action plan will be developed and put out for public comment.
An estimate for how much clean up may cost has yet to be determined.
Visitors to a packed community forum at Long Island MacArthur Airport on Thursday night expressed cautious relief after speaking to government and environmental officials about the Ronkonkoma airport’s recent designation as a state Superfund site.
MacArthur had been listed as a possible Superfund site in 2018 over concerns that past use and storage of a chemical found in firefighting foams could have contaminated drinking water supplies.
Last month, the state Department of Environmental Conservation designated the airport as a Superfund site after detecting perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, "at levels that exceed applicable standards," a spokesperson said in February. The state Superfund Site program, according to the DEC website, aims to identify suspected sites with hazardous waste and make sure they're properly addressed. The DEC investigates sites where hazardous waste may have been disposed of with the goal to determine potential threats to public health or the environment.
The DEC confirmed last month the detection of "significant" chemical contamination in groundwater and soil. Town and environmental officials have emphasized that public water there is safe to drink and there is currently no public health risk.
Residence of the area and others at the forum spoke with DEC officials as well as other state and local representatives about their concerns over water quality issues, the significance of a Superfund designation and what comes next for cleanup at the airport.
Derek Stein, 27, of Central Islip, said he rushed to the forum straight from work and described it as "helpful," although he would have preferred the push to inform the public had come a few years earlier.
"I think that's why they got so much turnout today," he added.
Jeffrey Szabo, chief executive of the Suffolk County Water Authority, said for customers of the agency, "your water is safe to drink."
"If you're on a private drinking water well not connected to us," he said, "you should get it tested."
Holbrook resident Shawn Melendez, 42, lives about a block from the airport. He attended the forum out of concern for his drinking water but left feeling reassured.
"I think everybody who spoke to us gave us a pretty fair and straight answer," he said.
Vanessa Thidemann, 48, also of Holbrook, came away from the forum with a sense of relief.
"Since the water is always being treated anyway, I'm really not concerned," she said. "It's definitely lessened my concerns, coming and getting this information."
Representatives from the state Department of Health, Suffolk County Water Authority, the airport’s environmental consultant and the Town of Islip also attended the forum.
Officials from different agencies manned informational boards and answered questions. A presentation set up by the Suffolk County Water Authority was especially popular, with locals packed around agency representatives.
John Swartwout, a representative from the DEC's division of environmental remediation, said the agency has conducted forums in a similar format before and he's found it helps alleviate community concerns.
"It's really made to allow people to directly interact with the sort of experts on the subject and on the site, and get their questions answered," he said.
The airport was listed as a possible Superfund site in 2018 over concerns over past use and storage of perfluorooctane sulfonate, or PFOS, the chemical found in firefighting foams used at airports.
The substances, also known as "forever chemicals" because they don’t breakdown easily, have been linked to immune system problems, cancers and other health impacts, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Fifteen acres of potential concern were evaluated at the airport and a few have been retained for further study during the remedial investigation.
According to the airport's environmental consultant Arcadis, "the only contaminants of concern that exceeded regulatory screening levels in site soils were PFAS," and more specifically, PFOS and PFOA.
Similarly, the only contaminants of concern that exceeded regulatory screening levels in groundwater were PFAS, the consultant said.
DEC officials have said the agency is negotiating an agreement with Islip to clean up the site. Once the investigation is complete, a remedial action plan will be developed and put out for public comment.
An estimate for how much clean up may cost has yet to be determined.
Brianne Ledda covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.