Chemical drum count at Bethpage park reaches 22: Five things to know 

Workers removed three more chemical drums Tuesday from concrete blocks dug up at Bethpage Community Park — bringing the total number of containers unearthed at the former Grumman Aerospace dumping ground to 22.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation doesn't have evidence of any additional drums, but Sean Mahar, the agency's interim commissioner, cautioned the site is being “actively investigated.”

Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino urged the DEC to hold Northrop Grumman's “feet to the fire” when it comes to the cleanup, which is taking place on former ballfields at the 18-acre park.

Contamination was first found at the park in 2002 and last year Oyster Bay sued Northrop Grumman, Grumman Aerospace's corporate predecessor, criticizing the pace of the company's state-ordered remediation effort. 

Here are five things to know about the ongoing excavation:

When were the drums discovered?

In late March, Northrop Grumman contractors found a layer of six concrete-encased chemical drums underground while doing soil testing. 

Workers discovered a second layer of four concrete-encased drums in mid-April days before they found a third layer of six other concrete-encased drums in the same area.

By Friday, contractors had uncovered six more concrete blocks in a nearby area. They pulled three chemical drums from that concrete Monday, and three more were freed Tuesday, according to town and state officials. 

How were the latest drums discovered?

State officials said historical aerial photographs were used to home in on a second area for digging.

Northrop Grumman said Tuesday the latest six drums “showed no visual signs of release” into the environment and “present no immediate threat to public health and safety.”

The company added it is “conducting further investigation” to determine if there are more than 22 drums.

What do we know about the contents of the drums?

The DEC said initial tests showed the first six of the 22 drums contained waste petroleum and chlorinated solvents including trichloroethylene (TCE), a known carcinogen. 

The agency said results from soil and drum samples are consistent with Grumman's historical operations at the park. It hasn't yet made public the final test results of the contents of any of the drums or surrounding soil.

Where is the digging happening?

State officials said the new excavation area is about 20 to 25 feet away from where workers unearthed the first 16 chemical drums. The digs are happening on a 3½-acre closed section of the recreation area, next to a skate park the town closed in January when the remediation effort expanded.

What is the history of contamination at the park?

Grumman, which manufactured aircraft in Bethpage, used the land as a pit for wastewater sludges and solvent-soaked rags between the 1940s and 1960s, Newsday previously reported.

Grumman donated land for the park to the town in 1962 but didn't disclose the contamination. The dumping there was found to be a major contributor to an underground plume of carcinogenic chemicals that is more than 4 miles long, 2 miles wide and 900 feet deep.

By Joseph Ostapiuk

joseph.ostapiuk@newsday.com@OstapiukJ