US Navy seeks input on Grumman cleanup
The United States Navy is conducting a community survey on the affected residents’ impressions of the cleanup efforts at the former Grumman facilities in Calverton. The survey consists of seven questions in short-answer format, with space at the end for additional comments. The form is available here. Responses will need to be downloaded and either emailed to [email protected] or printed and mailed to AVFAC Mid-Atlantic Public Affairs Office, 9324 Virginia Avenue Norfolk, VA 23511.
As previously reported, groundwater pollution at the site has been attributed to the Navy and Grumman’s activities when the Navy owned the land and leased it to Grumman.
The former Grumman site was used for building and testing military aircraft from about 1956 until 1996, when the company left Calverton. The Navy still owns roughly 208 acres of property at EPCAL that are being cleaned.
The source of the contamination has been traced to aqueous film-forming foam, a firefighting foam that was in regular use when military aircraft were being built and tested there. The foam contains toxic chemicals including PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, that have been linked to cancer, liver damage, fertility problems and asthma.
Work began recently to connect homes with wells polluted with PFAS to water provided by Suffolk County Water Authority. Officials said residents of the 128 affected homes had been drinking from private wells, some with confirmed toxic levels of PFAS and others with a high probability of contamination, perhaps linked to the toxic plume from the former Naval base. Testing of these residents’ wells has found PFAS “forever chemicals” and volatile organic compounds, which could put their health at risk.
