Brookhaven Town Faces PFAS Groundwater Plume from Landfill
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- Brookhaven Town Hall held a meeting in late March where residents voiced concerns about groundwater contamination from the nearby landfill.
- Monique Fitzgerald and the Brookhaven Landfill Action and Remediation Group urged the town to close the landfill, citing decades‑long worries about contamination.
- Town of Brookhaven reports the contamination plume extends roughly 8,000 feet southeast from the landfill, reaching groundwater beneath homes and roadways but not drinking‑water sources.
- State regulators have identified the landfill as the only conclusively identified source of emerging contaminants, including PFAS and 1,4‑dioxane, and ordered corrective measures.
- Town officials recommended expanded monitoring and connecting private wells to the municipal water supply rather than immediate closure or groundwater pumping.
- Suffolk County Water Authority uses an Advanced Oxidation Process to remove 1,4‑dioxane, a costly treatment that still struggles with PFAS removal.
- North Bellport and Brookhaven are designated as disadvantaged communities, highlighting heightened vulnerability to environmental hazards.
Why it matters: Brookhaven residents remain exposed to PFAS and 1,4‑dioxane while the town avoids the expense of immediate landfill closure, shifting the burden to long‑term monitoring and private‑well connections; state regulators’ insistence on the landfill as the sole source underscores the stakes for the disadvantaged community.
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