Governor Cuomo Announces Release of State Investigation and Proposed Plan to Contain Navy Grumman Plume
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Official news from the Office of the Governor
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the release of a landmark engineering and groundwater modeling investigation, as well as the beginning of a public comment period on a proposed Amended Record of Decision to fully contain and treat the plume of contamination caused by industrial waste from U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman manufacturing facilities in Oyster Bay, Nassau County. The Department of Environmental Conservation's new comprehensive investigation of the nearly four-mile long and two-mile wide underground plume confirms that construction, long-term operation and maintenance of an estimated $585 million full containment and treatment system is feasible and can effectively halt the further spread of contaminants.
The release of the Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) new analysis and the proposed Amended Record of Decision for public comment is the next step in the State Superfund process to select and deploy a comprehensive plan to contain and clean up the plume and hold the responsible parties - the U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman - accountable for its implementation. DEC's preferred alternative includes the construction of 24 groundwater extraction wells, five treatment plants, four recharge basins, and approximately 24 miles of conveyance piping.
At the close of the public comment period, the State will issue an Amended Record of Decision formally selecting the remedy. Immediately after the cleanup plan is selected, DEC, in consultation with the State Department of Health, will demand that the Navy and Grumman implement the selected plan. In addition, DEC will soon be releasing a Natural Resource Damages report under the federal Superfund law that determines that groundwater was substantially impacted and needs to be restored.
The State's study and the proposed Amended Record of Decision are available for review on the DEC website.
Senator Kevin Thomas said,
Our communities depend on clean, quality drinking water. I commend Governor Cuomo and the DEC for working to develop a solution to contain the U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman plume, which poses an ongoing threat to our public wells. This is a top-priority issue affecting over 250,000 Nassau County residents. I will continue working with the Governor to ensure the long-term health of our public drinking water and the safety of our communities in Nassau County."