Navy too slow to protect water
A view of the former Grumman plant and naval weapons depot in Bethpage where pollution has penetrated the soil of neighboring properties (2009 photo) Credit: Newsday/Jennifer Smith
A toxic chemical plume keeps moving south, faster than predicted, from the former fighter-jet plant in Bethpage. It's a huge underground threat to drinking water, and now the Massapequa Water District, anticipating that its wells will be hit within four years, is preparing to borrow money to get ready. That's a sad state of affairs.
The source of the trouble is the solvents used as Grumman Corp. built fighters there, most recently F-14s. Grumman (now Northrop Grumman) is trying to deal with the plume inside the boundaries of the site, which has cost about $100 million, and the Navy is taking care of the plume beyond the site, 3.5 miles long and a mile wide.
It has shown up in wells of the Bethpage Water District, and it's moving into South Farmingdale and eventually to Massapequa. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) expressed dismay with the pace of the cleanup, and the Navy led a study of what's next. It's encouraging that the Navy is at least considering the feasibility of containing the plume, instead of allowing contaminated water to be treated right at the affected wells. Massapequa argues that, by law, the latter approach is supposed to be a last resort.
The district just got authority from the Town of Oyster Bay for an $11.9-million bond, including $1.8 million for emergency measures once the plume arrives.
To avert that necessity, the Navy should move ahead at flank speed, figure out a containment strategy, and get it in place. Eventually is just not good enough.
