Environmental investigators have found new areas of PFAS contamination — some at very high levels — at the former Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant in Calverton that was once leased to Navy contractor Northrop Grumman.
Some areas are within the acreage the Riverhead Community Development Agency is in contract to sell to Calverton Aviation & Technology, according to a presentation given last week by the Navy and its contractors working on site cleanup in Calverton.
The Navy has designated several new areas of concern and sites for investigation and eventual cleanup. One is just west of the 10,000-foot runway, where PFAS levels detected in groundwater were 100 times the Environmental Protection Agency’s regional screening level of 4 parts per trillion. Its plume stretches to the southeast and extends across the runway toward the Peconic River, according to the presentation.
The agency is now embarking on a process required by a federal law called the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, known as CERCLA. The Navy will conduct what’s called a remedial investigation, that involves an evaluation of the nature and extent of the contamination and assessing potential threats to human health and the environment. It will then reach decisions on remedies for each of the sites. The record of decision describes the cleanup remedies. A public comment period is required before a final record of decision is adopted. Then, cleanup plans are developed, implemented and monitored. If the cleanup is successful, the site is deemed suitable for reuse.
The process can take several years. The remedial investigation of the contamination at the site just west of the 10,000-foot runway — now designated as Site 19 — will begin with a planning phase in 2024, according to Navy contractor Tetra-Tech. The remedial investigation phase is scheduled to begin in 2025.
Another site in an area of a 1983 plane crash on the 10,000-foot runway — now designated as Site 18 — will begin remedial investigation planning in 2026 and investigation in 2027.
It was not immediately clear how, if at all, these areas of contamination might affect the sale and development of land at the site.
Residents attending the meeting, which took place last Wednesday at Manorville Fire Department headquarters, expressed concern that development might release more PFAS into the environment — specifically that excavation at the site could change the flow of contaminated groundwater.
“There’s a potential,” said Tetra-Tech’s project manager for the Calverton site, Corey Rich.
Navy engineer Addison Phoenix said part of the record of decision establishes remedial objectives and goals. “And those would include land use restrictions or boundaries as part of the final remedy. That would be like long-term, forever and ever in place,” Phoenix said. “Of course, we were hoping to get full cleanup.”
Manorville resident Kelly McClinchy, a member of the Calverton Restoration Advisory Board, in an email to Phoenix Saturday, asked the Navy to focus on development plans by Calverton Aviation & Technology and whether “such a large scale development will impact groundwater flow, removal and redeposition of sediment at other locations, etc. This is a matter of grave concern,” McClinchy wrote.
“I wanted to highlight the sense of urgency here. The plan for moving forward with development will outpace the CERCLA process and we implore the Navy to stay ahead of this,” McClinchy wrote.
“If there is ANY way that the development process will change the groundwater movement, which was already in question on Wednesday evening, the surrounding communities would like to work with the Navy to develop a plan to delay any construction or development at the site until there is a full understanding of how such development will impact the clean up and, essentially, the health and safety of the surrounding communities,” she wrote.
In a reply email Monday, Phoenix said she had met with Riverhead Community Development Director Dawn Thomas after the Calverton RAB meeting and discussed future development on town-owned property at the site.
“It is my understanding that once the Industrial Development Agency approves Calverton Aviation Technology’s (CAT) application, CAT will need to begin the permitting, planning, and design process,” Phoenix wrote. “This parcel will require a State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) prior to construction which will serve to analyze the project for all potential environmental impacts.”
Phoenix said her “main concern” was that she was not aware of the plans until they came up at last week’s meeting. She said she and Thomas scheduled “a standing monthly call to make sure all parties are aware of schedules and activities.”
In an interview yesterday, Thomas said, “We really haven’t had any firm plans. Everything is just conceptual.”
Thomas said she meet with Phoenix and they agreed there should be better more formal communication about what’s happening on the property.
“We went over some of the questions that she had,” Thomas said. “I explained to her that it’s not likely that any shovel goes in the ground on that property for quite some time. And at the time that we have a proposal that looks like it will be, you know, it’s getting there, and a site plan application, then we would involve them, obviously,” Thomas said.
In an emailed response to questions posed by RiverheadLOCAL at last week’s Calverton RAB meeting, inquiring whether the new contamination sites could disrupt development plans for the property being sold to Calverton Aviation and Technology, a Navy spokesperson said today that the Navy is “unaware of any federal restrictions” at the site, other than physical access to the parcel and the ongoing environmental investigation/analysis.”
The Navy is aware of New York’s State Environmental Quality Review process, which would be applicable to development at the site.
“The Navy remains committed to continuing dialog further with area property owners and users/operators in and near the Town of Riverhead,” the Navy spokesperson said.
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.