The professionals from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the New York Department of Health, engineers and staff from the Lockheed Martin Corporation and the people in the community who have been faithfully advocating for the cleanup of the plume of contamination emanating from the former Unisys site far outnumbered any members of the public at the hearing held on Dec. 16. This meeting was the last one to be held prior to the board of education's making a decision on the proposal for an extraction well to be installed at the maintenance yard on the South Middle and High School complex on Lakeville Road. The hearing was a culmination of numerous meetings with parents, community leaders and interested parties during the past year which have been covered extensively in both local newspapers.

Under the proposal, water would be pumped from the well to a treatment plant that would be leased from the Manhasset-Lakeville Water District. The double-walled commercial quality PVC pipeline would be buried at a depth of about 5 feet. The air stripper plant would be modified with a carbon-activated filter to trap the volatile organic compounds taken from the water to a level of "non-detect" which exceeds New York State standards for such facilities before discharging the air into the environment. The treated water, which would be cleansed to drinking water standards of "non-detect," would be recharged back into the aquifer at a nearby site that is owned by the NYS Department of Transportation.

There were a couple of people present who asked questions about the specifics of the cleanup and the safety precautions to be taken. Members of the community who have followed these proceedings for years urged the DEC, Lockheed Martin and the school board to move without further delays to protect the pristine groundwater to the north of the plume of contamination for the good of the entire community.

If the board of education gives the nod to the plan in January, the actual cleanup of the plume could begin this time next year under the most pessimistic timetable according to Ray Cowan, regional director of the DEC.