Senator Schumer Urges Navy to Expedite Toxic Plume Remediation at Former Grumman Site in Calverton
Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and local officials are calling on the U.S. Navy to accelerate cleanup efforts at the former Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant in Calverton, Long Island. A toxic groundwater plume, containing PFAS 'forever chemicals' and 1,4-dioxane, is spreading from the site towards the Peconic Bay. The Navy's revised schedule has pushed back the completion of the remedial investigation and feasibility study (RI/FS) to 2039, a decade later than the initial target of 2029. Suffolk County water studies have found elevated levels of these contaminants, with some samples showing PFAS compounds 100 times higher than New York State drinking water standards and 1,4-dioxane nearly 15 times higher. Schumer criticized the Navy for stalling cleanup efforts, disputing county studies, and delaying the disclosure of PFAS findings in fish from Swan Pond. 
