Says Company “Buried Their Environmental Sins of the Past” in the Town
By Hank Russell
Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino renewed demands for Northrop Grumman to excavate all contaminated soils at Bethpage Community Park following the recent discovery of six 55-gallon chemical drums buried just seven feet underground near the ballfield and skatepark. These chemical drums are encased in concrete coffins, which is highly uncommon according to environmental experts.
To ensure the health and safety of residents, the Town of Oyster Bay immediately notified the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and retained an environmental engineer. Additionally, the Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Haz Mat Team determined that there is no safety hazard to the public at this time.
“The secret burial of these drums is further proof as to why we need the highest level of cleanup to remove all contaminants from the park, and truck them off Long Island to protect the health and safety of our community,” Saladino said. “Despite our demands and Grumman knowing of pollution at this park for decades, they continue to drag their feet and use a haphazard approach to dealing with this environmental nightmare.”
According to various news reports in 2016, a tipster suggested that drums were buried underground in the park. That claim was deemed unfounded by the DEC, yet chemical-filled drums were discovered buried in the park just this week. Less than a year ago, the town began soil borings to investigate the park more thoroughly due to a lack of urgency by Grumman. With this recent discovery, Grumman is now being forced to move forward with radar scans to determine where additional contaminants are in the park.
Long Island Life & Politics has reached out to Northrop Grumman for comment and is still waiting to hear back as of press time.
In September 2023, the town filed a second lawsuit against Grumman over the burial of these toxic chemicals and the company’s refusal to remediate the situation. He has since called on Governor Kathy Hochul, the state DEC, the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and member of Congress to force Grumman to remove the contaminated soils from the park and ship it out of the region.
“They buried their environmental sins of the past in our backyard,” Saladino said. “Our residents deserve better and we will not settle for anything less.”