Town Plans To Sue Grumman Over 'Outlaw Landfill' At Bethpage Park

BETHPAGE, NY — The Town of Oyster Bay plans to sue Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation over its alleged failure to clean the soil at Bethpage Community Park, allowing it to instead remain a vacant lot and a source of contamination for the area's groundwater.

The town's attorneys filed a letter announcing their intent to file the lawsuit within 90 days. The attorneys accused Grumman of refusing to properly address the contamination, forcing multiple acres of the park to remain vacant.

"Accepting Grumman's approach to-date would be acceptable only if the park were intended to remain vacant instead of being used as it was intended with pools, playgrounds and tennis courts," the letter reads. "When Grumman donated land for the park many decades ago, the terms of the donation to [the town] were for it to be used as a 'public park' and for 'recreational facilities' in perpetuity."

Grumman gifted the land that would become Bethpage Community Park to the town in 1962 under the condition it would be used as a park. The 18-acre parcel was previously used by the company as a dumping ground for toxic chemicals containing high concentrations of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. Environmental investigations in the 1980s and 90s found the extent of the contamination of the land.

According to the EPA, volatile organic compounds can be emitted as gasses. Exposure can cause damage to the liver, kidneys and the central nervous system, as well as cancer.

Bethpage Community Park is currently home to a skate park, ice rink, pool, playground and multiple tennis courts.

The attorneys allege in the letter that Grumman left toxic chemicals in the soil at the park and created an unlawful "outlaw landfill" on Town of Oyster Bay property.

"Grumman's outlaw landfill lacks sound and consistent risk management, poses unacceptable risks and robs TOB residents of a safe park," the letter reads.

The lawsuit seeks to force Grumman to finally clean the parcel, with appropriate oversight from the federal Environmental Protection Agency, which is supposed to approve Grumman's work on the site.

Patch reached out to Northrop Grumman for comment.

"Children playing in the park demand an expedited investigation and cleanup of Grumman's toxic legacy before yet another generation of children are deprived of park use," the letter said.