CALVERTON – The former Grumman site in Calverton is again at the center of attention as Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) and officials are calling on the federal government to clean up the site.
Testing by Suffolk County has shown an uncomfortable level of PFAS and 1,4-dioxane – “forever chemicals” spreading into the Peconic River. Recent PFAS tests show that eleven compounds were found in all twenty-one samples taken by the County. Twelve samples far exceeded the State’s standards. That plume has moved towards private drinking wells, leading the Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA) to expedite infrastructure in Calverton and Manorville, while the State has advised against eating fish caught in certain bodies of water.
After thirty years, Romaine and company are ready to explore every avenue possible. They have consistently called for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to declare the former Grumman property a Superfund site, one of hazardous waste that poses significant health and environmental risks.
“In those thirty years, ponds and now the [Peconic] [R]iver have been impacted by the contamination that the Navy left behind, that they did not address,” said Romaine outside Riverhead Town Hall on Monday. “It’s not getting better.”
Romaine added that residents cannot eat fish from Swan Pond, Donohue Pond, or the Peconic River.
“We are not without resources,” said Romaine, adding that he hopes conversations will lead to action. However, he and his bipartisan allies on the issue remain ready to evaluate their options. The County has put $22 million in water mains between Riverhead and Brookhaven and they’re ready to spend another $8 million for water mains to the Peconic Lake Estates in Calverton and both sides of Nugent Drive (CR-94), which spans from Exit 71 of the Expressway to the County Center in Riverside.
Romaine and company also take umbrage with the Calverton Restoration Advisory Board’s (RAB) move to make the next meeting virtual.
“The Navy and its representatives should come and meet in person the people whose health they’ve affected,” said Romaine.
The Navy, however, has not addressed the County’s own data. Moreover, they had not responded to the County and Town when written in the past. Romaine lamented the fact that there are possible efforts to remove Andrew Rapiejko, the County’s Chief Hydrologist, from the RAB over his data showing a narrative different to that of the Navy.
“That would be an unfortunate mistake…becuase he presented factual information of where the contamination is,” said Romaine.
“As an RAB member, to take Andy Rapiejko off the board would be like throwing the truth in the garbage,” said Riverhead Town Councilman Bob Kerr (R-Riverhead). “The reason they want to go to Zoom is because the last meeting was very contentious and they don’t want to be challenged.”
Riverhead Town Supervisor Jerry Halpin (D-Riverhead) called on the Navy to “not just test for single contaminants, but to test as the Suffolk County Department of Health has done over and over, showing all of the real results, not hiding anything.”
“We want to do this amicably,” said Halpin (pictured left).
Suffolk County Legislator Greg Doroski (D-Mattituck) said that as he tells his kids to “clean up their mess,” he’s saying the same to the Navy.
“If this were you or I who had done this, we would have been forced to clean it up a long time ago,” said Doroski (pictured right).
Riverhead Town Councilman Ken Rothwell (R-Wading River), Councilwoman Joanne Waski (R-Jamesport), and Councilwoman Denise Merrifield (R-Wading River) all echoed the same message that the RAB is guilty of “obstruction” and that life-long Riverheaders “deserve more” than what the Navy has given them.
Suffolk County Health Commissioner Dr. Gregson Pigott said that the County Health Department’s Office of Water Resources has done “extensive groundwater monitoring” and testing.
“We can study and study and look and look, but at this point we ended a plan to clean this up,” said Pigott.
“Avoiding addressing these issues is not going to resolve it. We’re not without options,” said Romaine before he and Supervisor Halpin signed a letter to the Navy on the matter.
The letter to Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao (R-VA) also says that when the Navy collected Swan Pond fish for testing in 2024, the PFAS results were validated by another test. Yet, the Navy “failed to alert” the towns of Brookhaven and Riverhead, as well as Suffolk County “for a whole year.”
