The Secretary of the Navy says he will work with local authorities to clean up the toxic Bethpage groundwater plume that has spread from the former Grumman plant on Long Island.
Navy Secretary Richard Spencer was joined by U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and toured several wells with officials from the Bethpage, Massapequa, and South Farmingdale Water Districts.
“We understand our responsibility. We understand how this is all unfolding, and we are prepared to stand by what we should do and what is right. Getting up here and seeing what’s going on with the plume at Bethpage was a priority and remains a priority,” Spencer said.
The Navy and Grumman manufactured jet airplanes at the Bethpage plant into the 1990s. A groundwater plume that contains the carcinogen trichloroethylene has spread from the plant south past the Southern State Parkway.
The Senate has approved $323 million as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, which is now under consideration in the House. If passed, Spencer says that a portion could be used for remediation.
