[CPEO-MEF] PFAS: "Navy says it won't comply with federal drinking water standards in Calverton [NY] Grumman cleanup"

[Lenny Siegel <LSiegel@cpeo.org>]

Navy says it won't comply with federal drinking water standards in Calverton Grumman cleanup

By Tara Smith
Long Island Newsday (NY)
November 10, 2024 

A federal agency's decision to prioritize chemical cleanup at wells where contamination is three times the new federal limit has prompted calls for swifter action and money for public water at the former Grumman plant in Calverton.

At a public forum Oct. 29, Navy officials told members of an advisory board overseeing the Navy’s remediation at the Grumman site it would adhere to a standard of 12 parts per trillion for poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in drinking water — three times the EPA limit set by the Department of Defense.

The Environmental Protection Agency in April set stricter standards requiring utilities to limit “forever chemicals” in drinking water linked to cancers, developmental damage and other health problems. The manmade chemicals are commonly found in firefighting foams and do not break down naturally. The limit of 4 parts per trillion exceeds current state standards for contaminants in Long Island drinking water.

The Department of Defense said its parameter “prioritizes action where PFAS levels are the highest, rather than delay action at these locations while ongoing remedial investigations continue,” according to a September memo. But frustrated residents say the move will only delay cleanup action and asked the Navy for $2 million to pay for public water extensions to homes near the facility.

…

For the entire article, see
https://www.newsday.com/long-island/towns/calverton-grumman-cleanup-ojfuhhui

—

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director
Center for Public Environmental Oversight
A project of the Pacific Studies Center
LSiegel@cpeo.org
P.O. Box 998, Mountain View, CA 94042
Voice/Fax: 650-961-8918
http://www.cpeo.org
Author: DISTURBING THE WAR: The Inside Story of the Movement to Get Stanford University out of Southeast Asia - 1965–1975 (See http://a3mreunion.org)

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