U.S. Navy plant in Bethpage to target 'heart' of Grumman plume

The U.S. Navy launched a new facility in Bethpage to contain the sprawling Grumman plume that originated from the company's manufacturing plant and is spreading south.  

The $46 million groundwater treatment facility on Union Avenue in Bethpage began partial operations last fall, although service was suspended in December, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. But the system has now been operating continuously for more than two months. The 9,600-square-foot facility is expected to run at full power this summer. 

The plant will work to contain and treat the extensive plume, an outgrowth of decades-long U.S. Navy and Grumman Aerospace operations, officials said. The plant consists of six wells that are drilled more than 500 feet into the ground and can treat 3 million gallons of groundwater daily.

The plume is more than 4 miles long and 2 miles wide and extends as far as 900 feet below the surface, Newsday has reported. The aerospace company dumped hazardous waste at the 609-acre property for years and knew about the hazards as early as the 1970s but did not disclose it, a Newsday investigation found.

The plant's remediation systems target volatile organic compounds — including trichloroethylene, or TCE, and 1,4-dioxane — and other contaminants. Those toxins were leached into the ground for decades beginning with aircraft production in the 1940s.

The plant uses three granular activated carbon filters, two packed tower aeration systems and an advanced oxidation proces s to tackle the contamination, said Mike Boufis, superintendent of the Bethpage Water District.

“It’s a pretty robust system,” Boufis said in a phone interview. The plant represents a “milestone” in the cleanup effort.

In the first phase, contractors used several wells to target toxic hot spots.

The second phase tackles the "heart" of the plume, which is north of the Southern State Parkway, officials have said.

Under a third phase, a new groundwater treatment facility is expected to target parts of the plume further south. That site is scheduled to come online in late 2028, the Navy said. 

“All of these treatment systems are designed to work together as one coordinated network,” David Brayack, a project manager for Tetra Tech, a Navy contractor, said in a statement. “The new Phase II Plant is the heart of that network and getting it running marks a major step forward in restoring the aquifer for the long-term."  

Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) said the new plant will play a key role in the wider remediation effort.

“This is so big and so complicated, and it’s gone on for decades, but we’re finally making some real progress," Suozzi said in a phone interview. 

About 97% of the contaminated groundwater plume is deemed “under active control,” according to the U.S. Navy. About 20% of contamination from the plume has been removed, the Navy said.

The Navy "remains committed to sustained stewardship of the aquifer and continued partnership with the Bethpage community as restoration efforts progress and oversight continues," said Karnig Ohannessian, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for Environment and Mission Readiness, in a statement

By Joseph Ostapiuk

joseph.ostapiuk@newsday.com@OstapiukJ