Water testing expanded near site of battery plant fire that led to contamination on Long Island
Three years after a fire at a lithium-battery power plant in East Hampton, the State of New York is expanding groundwater testing around the facility.
"It was 2.2 million gallons of water that went into the ground," Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said at a briefing on Tuesday. "We've sunk nine wells, and we're going to be sinking more," Romaine said.
Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine says they have tested and confirmed groundwater contamination near the battery storage site.
"This contamination began with the battery storage here in East Hampton," Romaine said.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation has announced a plan to test the groundwater surrounding the East End Battery Energy Storage Systems facility for forever chemicals.
The county says it is adding additional water testing locations near Georgica Pond and other ponds in the area.
"Wastewater that is contaminated, getting into the ground, ultimately ends up in our bays and in our aquifer," Danielle Quackenbush said.
Quackenbush, with Hamptons Water Solutions and Quackenbush Cesspools, says it is important for the water that goes into homes and the water that goes out to be treated and free of chemicals.
"Whether you're on well water that could be close to a contaminated, you know, a cesspool that's just leaching into the ground. Or if you're on town water, which is treated and has chlorine, etc., in it, you want to treat that water coming in through your home," Quackenbush said.
If residents rely on well water, the county will come and test it.
A federal lawsuit has been filed against the battery plant by the Suffolk County Water Authority, claiming the plant is the source of the groundwater contaminants.
The battery plant owners, NextEra Energy and National Grid, said in a statement:
"While we are unable to comment on an ongoing case, we remain committed to working with local and state officials on the investigation."
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