New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the state will clean up the toxic Bethpage groundwater plume, and recoup the money from Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Navy later.
A plume of toxic chemicals has been spreading slowly for 60 years underground near the former Northrop Grumman plant in Bethpage. It was formed by chemicals that the defense contractor used to build fighter jets for the Navy.
Cuomo says the state had to take action after the state Department of Environmental Conservation found that the plume was larger, deeper, and moving more quickly than previously thought.
“We’re dealing with the health and wellbeing of the people of Long Island, and this is not a time nor a place to scrimp. We need action, we need action now. We’ve lived with this for too long already.”
The state will build 14 wells around the perimeter of the plume to contain it, and will build four more wells to treat hot spots.
New York will lay out an estimated $150 million. Cuomo says it will then recoup the money from Northrop Grumman and the Navy through the superfund process or litigation. Construction on the wells will begin next year.
