Inspections are continuing and expanding at a Long Island park after drums of chemicals were found buried under ballfields, leftover from when the land was used for aircraft production.
Preliminary scans of the long-abandoned ballfields at Bethpage Park have found more trouble spots, and now ground penetrating radar will be brought in to investigate further. It comes after crews uncovered 16 drums that each held 55 gallons of chemicals believed to have been left there by Northrup Grumman decades ago.
The search will now take place over the entire 18 acre park area and not just on the ballfields.
Work echoed across the playground just steps away, reminding local residents of the potential environmental threat to their families.
"It’s a little nerve wracking. See what they find I guess," said Sharon Cunningham, who would like all the questions to be addressed. "If they found more here, is there more somewhere else we don’t know about? How far-reaching is it?"
Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said the town now believes a dumping pit for chemicals was once used at the location — which in a somewhat ironic twist, was donated to the town by Grumman in the 1960s to serve as a park. The town now wants every inch of the park to be inspected, and if necessary, cleaned up.
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"This really speaks to the graveyard of Grummans sins at this site," said Saladino. "This soil looks blue. We believe it’s filled with chromium, TCE. Very dangerous compounds."
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Test results expected back shortly on both soil and the chemicals found in the drums. Environmental officials have found no leakage and have said that, for the moment, the drums pose no health threat. The state's Department of Environmental Conservation has said it is waiting for the results of the contents of the latest barrels and also to ensure no leakage has occurred.
A spokesman for Northrup Grumman previously told NBC New York, “We are working closely with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and other stakeholders as we continue to conduct our ongoing remediation activities in Bethpage,” and that “we remain committed to protecting the health and well-being of the community as we address environmental conditions in Bethpage.”
