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An exterior view of 1111 Marcus Avenue in Lake Success...

An exterior view of 1111 Marcus Avenue in Lake Success on Wednesday, June 18, 2014. Credit: Danielle Finkelstein

Lockheed Martin would continue treating contaminated groundwater at and around a North Hempstead property it once owned under a plan proposed this month by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

The 94-acre property at 1111 Marcus Ave., which sits in the Village of Lake Success and the Town of North Hempstead, had been home to defense contractors and is now a state Superfund site.

Water contaminated with solvents and oils was dumped for decades into dry wells on the property until 1978, according to the DEC. The property was purchased in 1996 by Lockheed Martin, which inherited responsibility for cleaning up the contamination.

The DEC's plan calls for Lockheed Martin to increase the amount of groundwater it currently pumps out of wells on the property in order to treat it and return it to the aquifer.

It also requires that Lockheed Martin continue operating its system that captures harmful vapors from the soil before they infiltrate buildings on the property.

The proposal restricts the land to commercial use but allows the town to use a portion of the property as soccer fields.

The proposal also would require that Lockheed Martin continue operating its water treatment system that aims to stem the plume of contamination that has stretched more than a mile beyond the site and into the Upper Glacial and Magothy aquifers.

Gary Cambre, spokesman for Lockheed Martin, said the proposal was "protective of the water supply as other options while creating the least amount of disruption to the community and area neighborhoods."

Representatives of the two public water suppliers whose wells were affected by the underground plume have expressed support for the proposal.

"We're in complete agreement with it," said Greg Graziano, superintendent of the Water District of Great Neck North, which has three wellheads that have been affected.

"We've gotten a great sense from the community that they're happy to see that the plume will be paid for by somebody other than the taxpayers," said Andrew DeMartin, chairman of the board of the Manhasset-Lakeville Water District, which has one well that has not been treated for contamination.

The DEC will have a public meeting on the proposal at 7 p.m. next Thursday at Great Neck South Middle School in Great Neck, and is accepting public comment on the proposal through July 14.

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