State Will Hold Meeting To Explain Decision
Not To Clean Up Speonk Plume
Publication: The Southampton Press
By Erin McKinley Dec 31, 2012 5:31 PM
The State Department of Environmental Conservation has agreed to host a public
information meeting to explain its decision not to clean up a nearly two-mile-long
plume of toxic groundwater in Speonk.
Although the DEC has not yet set a date for the public meeting, Charsleissa King,
a press representative for the state agency, confirmed this week that one that
also will address the concerns of hamlet residents is now in the works. She could
not offer a specific time frame as to when the meeting would be held.
The DEC changed course after receiving multiple requests from local
environmental and civic groups, as well as elected officials, that it explain its
reasoning to residents and the dangers posed by the chemicals beneath the soil.
“We are pleased the DEC has decided to hold a public meeting,” said Jenn
Hartnagel, a senior environmental advocate for the Group for the East End. “This
will provide the community with the opportunity to ask questions and, hopefully,
get some answers as to the next steps.”
The plume was discovered in 2001 after an unidentified resident complained that
the well water in Speonk tasted odd, and was the subject of a massive 16,000page characterization study commissioned by the DEC and conducted by
Massachusetts-based environmental consulting firm Camp Dresser and McKee
(CDM). The report was finished in December 2011.
The report, which took more than a year to complete, failed to identify a potential
source for the plume—a necessary step in determining a guilty party responsible
for funding any remediation efforts. Last month, after learning that the DEC has
relabeled the plume as a class “N” site—which stands for “No Action Necessary”—
and would, therefore, not be performing any remediation, the Bridgehamptonbased Group for the East End and State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. began
calling on the DEC to address concerns still shared by local residents.
“For many years, there has been significant public interest in the status of the
toxic plume in Speonk,” Mr. Thiele wrote in an email last week. “Further, there
has been a public expectation that this toxic spill would be remediated. Any
decision by DEC to the contrary needs to be transparent and withstand public
scrutiny.”
Last week, Emily DeSantis, the director of public information for the DEC, shared
her responses to a series of questions submitted by The Press to the agency more
than a month earlier. In her response, she wrote that the basis for the DEC’s
decision not to clean up the groundwater stems from the lack of homes still using
private wells.
“The site characterization report stated active remediation of the plume should be
considered if large numbers of properties in the impacted area rely on private
wells which would require an alternative drinking water source,” Ms. DeSantis
wrote. “As stated earlier, there are no known impacted private drinking water
wells, consequently, there is no need to remediate groundwater. No additional
actions are planned by the NYSDEC.”
The DEC also has no plans to further track the plume of groundwater, according
to the agency.
The plume is believed to be approximately 120 feet below the surface north of
Old Country Road, and approximately 80 feet below the surface at Montauk
Highway; the contamination appears to be moving in a southwesterly direction
toward Moriches Bay. The contamination has not yet reached the bay, according
to the study.
The highest concentration of contaminants—which include tetrachloroethene,
trichloroethene, trichloroethane, carbon tetrachloride and chloroform—is now
near Circle Place in Speonk, which is south and west of the intersection of Old
Country and Speonk-Riverhead roads, according to the report.
According to information provided by Jeffrey Hammond, a public affairs
spokesman for the State Department of Health, the chemicals pose a danger to
humans if ingested or if they are exposed to them over long periods.
Ms. DeSantis wrote that the highest reported contaminant concentration
discovered was tetrachloroethene, also known as PCE, which was found 75 feet
below the surface in July 2005 and measured at 1400 ug/l (micrograms per liter).
Mostly utilized by dry cleaners, tetrachloroethene can also be used for degreasing
metals and in the manufacture of other chemicals.
Studies have shown that short-term exposure to the chemical can cause dizziness,
headaches, light-headedness and poor balance, according to information provided
by Mr. Hammond. Long-term exposure allows the chemical to attack the central
nervous system, impair kidney and liver function and, in some cases, the body’s
reproductive system.
Like tetrachloroethene, trichloroethene, or TCE, is also used to remove grease
from certain metals, and will also, with prolonged exposure, impact the central
nervous system and may cause dizziness, headaches, nausea, confusion, blurred
vision and fatigue. In some lab tests, lab animals exposed to the chemical over
long periods have developed cancer, according to Mr. Hammond.
Tetrachloride is a man-made chemical that is typically used as a household spot
remover and in fire extinguishers. While there is limited information about longterm effects on humans, short-term exposure has led to kidney and liver damage
and attacks on the nervous system. Long-term exposure of lab animals to the
chemical has also resulted in increased cancer rates.
Chloroform, a colorless liquid, is now primarily used to create other chemicals.
Prolonged exposure to the chemical might result in severe liver or kidney damage,
and can cause sores when exposed to the skin.
The dangers posed by these chemicals, and the DEC’s decision not to clean them
up, will be discussed during the upcoming community meeting.
“The DEC owes it to the community to hold a public meeting in Speonk, explain
its decision and reveal the facts on which its decision was based,” Mr. Thiele said.
“This will give the community and environmental professionals an opportunity to
understand and, if necessary, challenge the DEC’s decision.
“It is not satisfactory to base the lack of cleanup on the fact that no responsible
private party has been identified,” he continued. “Public health must not be
sacrificed to state fiscal concerns.”