Groundwater contaminants land Brookhaven Calabro Airport on state Superfund list
Calabro, owned by Brookhaven Town, was found to pose a "significant threat to public water" because of substances in firefighting foam commonly used at airports. Credit: John Roca
Brookhaven Calabro Airport in Shirley has been added to the state Superfund list following the discovery of groundwater contaminated with toxic "forever chemicals" at the 600-acre site.
State officials, in a letter last month to nearby residents, said the cause of the contamination appears to be firefighting foam commonly used at airports and other locations with large supplies of oil.
Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma was added to the state Superfund list in 2023, also because of groundwater contaminated by firefighting foam.
Calabro, owned by Brookhaven Town, was found to pose a "significant threat to public water" because of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, known as PFOS, and perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, the state Department of Environmental Conservation told residents in a letter mailed last month. Both substances were contained in aqueous film-forming foam used to fight fires, the DEC said.
Forever chemicals like PFOS and PFOA have been linked to cancer, according to the National Institutes of Health website.
The letter added that "additional investigation is needed" to determine the extent of contamination, its potential impact on residents and the "appropriate measures" to prevent or limit exposure.
The state Superfund was established in 1979 to fund cleanup of hazardous waste.
Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico said the town is one of many municipalities across the country suing manufacturers of firefighting foam.
“Virtually everyone in the area is connected to the public water, but anyone on well water is encouraged to contact us so that we may connect them,” Panico said Monday in a text.
Residents probably are in little immediate danger if their houses are connected to the Suffolk County Water Authority's public water supply, the DEC letter said.
Water authority spokesman Daniel Dubois said Monday in an email, "almost every single property is on the public water system" in the area immediately around the airport.
Calabro, originally a World War II-era support facility for the U.S. Army Air Corps, is a popular airfield for private pilots and flight instruction schools. It sees more than 50,000 takeoffs and landings annually, according to the Brookhaven Town website.
The airport, off William Floyd Parkway, had a cameo in Martin Scorsese's 2019 film, "The Irishman."
Raymond G. Keenan, a Shirley lawyer and retired firefighter, said he had “not too much” concern about potential drinking water contamination because few residents use private wells. He said hundreds of Shirley residents likely received the DEC letter last month.
“Because we are on [public] water, it doesn’t become as much of an issue,” Keenan, president of the Manor Park Civic Association in Shirley, said Monday in a phone interview. “Potentially, there could be issues depending on how much of it is in the ground.”
Firefighting foam, despite the health risks, is still commonly used, though some fire agencies are phasing it out, The Associated Press reported earlier this year.
Keenan, who lives just west of Calabro Airport, said it was standard to fight fires using foam. But such fires were relatively rare, he added.
“That’s what we used back in the day,” he said, adding water was ineffective when fighting fires involving oil.
“With these things, it’s a smothering” of flames to extinguish the fire, he said. "You’re cutting off air to the fire until it dies.”
Brookhaven Calabro Airport
- 600-acre site in Shirley owned by Brookhaven Town
- Originally a World War II-era support facility for the U.S. Army Air Corps
- Sees more than 50,000 takeoffs and landings annually, according to Brookhaven Town.
Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.
Sarra Sounds Off: Soccer scene and plays of the week On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Jolie Katzen and Michael Sicoli recap the girls and boys soccer scene, and Jared Valluzzi has a look at the plays of the week.
Sarra Sounds Off: Soccer scene and plays of the week On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Jolie Katzen and Michael Sicoli recap the girls and boys soccer scene, and Jared Valluzzi has a look at the plays of the week.
