Senator Charles Schumer has called on the Environmental Protection Agency to begin an investigation into the dumping of thousands of tons of contaminated materials on at least three sites in the Town of Islip on Long Island.
Schumer says he is especially concerned with one of the sites because a six-home development for war veterans in Islandia sites near a public-supply well on Nichols Road South.
The Senator has asked that the EPA intervene via its authority under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act.
The EPA has said that the agency has not yet decided whether it would get involved, saying that it would only coordinate with the county before making such a decision.
“EPA stands ready to assist the county in any way possible to protect public health in Suffolk County,” EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck said, declining to say whether talks with the county had already begun. The EPA’s advisory role will educate and inform residents of the affected areas who are rightfully concerned about their health and welfare. Asbestos, hazardous metals and other toxic materials, including banned pesticides and insecticides, were found in debris that was dumped at Roberto Clemente Park in Brentwood and another property in Central Islip. Metals, pesticides and petroleum-based products also were found in fill at the Islandia
