Chemical pollution is common on Long Island with it being home to 38
Superfund sites both closed and active. The four counties of Long Island have had chemical pollution, but
Nassau County has the most out of the group with 18 superfund sites. Most famously from 1942 to 1996
Northrop Grumman and the
United States Navy owned 600 acres where they manufactured military aircraft. Disposal practices of both parties resulted in a plume of VOCs or
volatile organic compounds that contaminated groundwater in an area extending 4.3 miles north and south and 2.1 miles east and west. Restoration efforts have been on going since 2019 but concern over water quality still remains. Chemical pollution on Long Island often follows a similar pattern of negligence with hazardous chemicals that leak into groundwater and soil. Long Island drinking water is sourced from a large
aquifer which is at risk of contamination if chemical pollution continues.