Schumer Says Pentagon Pushed Calverton PFAS Cleanup to 2039

Sen. Chuck Schumer came to Calverton Thursday to warn that the Pentagon has quietly pushed back a critical pollution study at the former Grumman weapons plant by more than a decade, a move he said was not disclosed to the public or to local cleanup watchdogs.

Department of Defense records cited by Schumer show the Navy has moved its projected completion date for the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study at the Enterprise Park at Calverton — known as EPCAL — from 2028 to April 2039. That study must be finished before the Navy can select a final remedy for the contamination. Schumer made his remarks at a press conference at Peconic River Herb Farm in Calverton, standing alongside Riverhead Town officials, Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio and members of the Calverton Restoration Advisory Board.

Adrienne Esposito, a member of the RAB, said the board had not been told about the delay. "We, the RAB, were not aware of this monumental delay once again in cleaning up the site, and in addition, it's completely unnecessary and unwarranted," Esposito said.

The former Navy weapons plant was used for decades by Grumman for the development, assembly, testing and maintenance of military aircraft. PFAS — a family of persistent synthetic chemicals used in firefighting foams and industrial applications — has been detected in soils, groundwater and surface water on and near the site. Local officials said Suffolk County testing shows the contamination plume is moving toward the Peconic River.

Schumer said cleanup schedule delays at 727 military installations nationwide have been recorded nearly 1,000 times since 2021, according to Pentagon records. The pattern at Calverton fits a broader trend: the Defense Department has drawn bipartisan congressional criticism this year for quietly revising cleanup timelines at hundreds of sites across the country without public announcement.

Schumer called on the Navy to speed up its work and restore transparency with the local advisory board and the surrounding community.