The Navy Has Earned the Public’s Distrust

Years after toxic chemicals were discovered migrating from the former Grumman plant in Calverton, the Navy is still struggling to convince the public it has a credible cleanup plan. Its latest presentation raised more questions than answers.

For years, residents of eastern Long Island have been told that the contamination migrating from the former Grumman aircraft plant in Calverton is being studied, monitored, and addressed. For years, the public has been asked to trust the process.

That trust is now running dangerously low. The latest presentation before the Restoration Advisory Board did little to reassure residents that the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command understands the urgency of the problem or appreciates the concerns of the communities living with the consequences of decades-old pollution.

The contamination is not theoretical. PFAS “forever chemicals,” 1,4-dioxane, and other pollutants have been detected in groundwater, surface waters, fish tissue, and areas extending toward the Peconic River and Peconic Bay. Swan Pond has been closed to fishing because of the contamination. These chemicals do not simply disappear. They persist in the environment and are considered cancer-causing.

Yet despite spending approximately $78.5 million, the Navy still faces serious questions about what has actually been accomplished. Riverhead Water District Superintendent and RAB member Frank Mancini flatly accused the Navy of fraud in the way the millions were spent.

Just as troubling is the growing perception that local experts and stakeholders are being sidelined rather than welcomed into the process.

The decision to remove Suffolk County Health Department hydrogeologist Andrew Rapiejko from the technical stakeholder process raises legitimate concerns. Rapiejko has been one of the most knowledgeable independent experts studying contamination at the site. Excluding expertise rarely inspires confidence.

Nor did the Navy help itself by tightly controlling public participation during the community RAB meeting. Citizens Campaign for the Environment Executive Director Adrienne Esposito noted how unusual the restrictions were for a public forum, as did the board’s co-chair, Vincent Racaniello. Transparency should not be treated as an inconvenience. It should be the foundation of any cleanup effort.

The Navy’s proposed “funnel and gate” treatment system may ultimately prove effective. But when local officials, environmental advocates, and technical experts are openly questioning whether the plan will work, the burden falls on the Navy to provide answers, not demand blind faith. The former Grumman plant helped defend America and provided good-paying jobs to generations of Long Islanders. The communities left to deal with its environmental legacy deserve better than secrecy, exclusion, and unanswered questions.

If the Navy wants public trust, it must earn it. Like the toxic plumes emanating from the Calverton site, it is moving in the wrong direction.