L.I. lawmakers asking state to help provide clean drinking water for east-enders
In response to an increased rate of contaminants found in private wells across Long Island’s East End, lawmakers are calling on aid from Albany to provide clean drinking water to residents.
Polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are rapidly becoming a threat to the East End’s various private wells.
According to the EPA, the presence of PFAS in human beings can cause low infant birth weights, detrimental effects on the immune system, cancer and thyroid hormone disruption.
To combat this threat, Thiele and Sen. Kenneth LaValle, R-Port Jefferson, are calling on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York State Department of Health to assist in decontamination of private wells.
It can be soil removal, putting ground water into separate wells, but always at the forefront of our mind is protecting public health.” It is not clear how long the cleanup will take, or how costly it may be.
Instead, the Department of Environmental Conservation is looking for a responsible party or organization which would then reimburse the state for any costs incurred during their cleanup efforts.
According to the DEC, this responsible party seems to be the U.S. Department of Defense, which operated the Air National Guard base at Gabreski airport, which was declared a Superfund site in 2016.
Sites like these often use flame retardant foams containing PFAS, which can seep into the groundwater.
However, LaValle said the issue of contamination has spread beyond the immediate area surrounding the Gabreski base, affecting both East and West Hampton, as well as properties in East Quogue.
“I think the state and county have been very proactive in finding areas where these chemicals exist but we need a more comprehensive plan to extend public water to these affected areas,” LaValle said.