Old Roosevelt Field Contaminated Ground Water Area

Overview

The Old Roosevelt Field Contaminated Ground Water Area sits in Garden City, New York, on the site of a former airfield that operated from World War I through 1951. Aircraft maintenance, repair, and refueling left chlorinated solvents in the groundwater. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in May 2000. Today the land is redeveloped as Roosevelt Field Shopping Mall, Garden City Plaza, office buildings, and other commercial uses, with 360 businesses employing roughly 4,910 people on site.

Thirteen contaminants of concern have been identified, all found in groundwater. They include tetrachloroethene (PCE), trichloroethene (TCE), 1,1-dichloroethene, cis-1,2-dichloroethene, chloroethene (vinyl chloride), and carbon tetrachloride. Several of these are also detected in soil gas in the Southern Plume area. Contamination was first discovered in two Village of Garden City public drinking water supply wells in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Cleanup is divided into two Operable Units (OUs). For OU1, covering the Southern Plume, EPA selected a remedy in 2007 and started a groundwater extraction and treatment system in 2012. The system strips contaminants from the water using air, then sends treated water to recharge basins. By November 2023, it had removed about 2,500 pounds of contaminants since startup. Long-term operation under state oversight is scheduled to continue through at least September 2025. For OU2, covering the Eastern Plume, EPA chose a remedy in March 2018 and finished a revised design in September 2024. That remedy uses extraction wells, monitored natural attenuation, and discharge to an infiltration basin or reinjection into the aquifer. Construction of the OU2 treatment plant is targeted to begin in Summer 2026, with remedial action estimated to finish between September and November 2028. Institutional controls restrict private well use across the site through state and local regulations.

Human exposure is assessed as under control, meaning no unacceptable exposure pathways currently exist. However, contaminated groundwater is still migrating and has not been stabilized, with potential for unacceptable discharge to surface water. Physical construction is not complete for the entire site, and cleanup goals have not been fully achieved across all areas.

Community members can follow the cleanup and get involved by subscribing to an EPA email list. To sign up or ask questions, contact Community Involvement Coordinator Natalie Loney by email or phone. Remedial Project Manager Elizabeth McConnell handles technical questions about the cleanup. EPA's Community Involvement Program offers additional ways for residents to participate in decisions affecting the site.