Tests of soil samples from a six-acre wetlands in Deer Park confirmed that harmful toxins were illegally dumped on the property, authorities said Friday.
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said the illegally dumped debris contained asbestos and other hazardous materials, including Dieldrin and Cobalt—the same substances discovered at Roberto Clemente Park in Brentwood and a second site in Central Islip.
“This pile of toxins is a genuine threat to the health of the Great South Bay ecosystem, a network of streams, creeks and wetlands that are protected under federal and state law,” Suffolk DA Thomas Spota said in a statement. “Sediment from the pile is washing directly into the creek, and the person or persons who dumped this material is directly responsible for the contamination of a fragile marine environment.”
The Deer Park dump site is adjacent to Sumpsams Creek. The site, which is on the Islip-Babylon Town border, is a protected wetlands area forming the Great South Bay watershed.
The results come almost a month after Spota’s office revealed that carcinogens were dumped at Roberto Clemente Park. The illegal dumping probe includes two other sites in the Town of Islip: several homes on Veterans Way in Islandia and a Police Athletic League ball field on Clayton Street in Central Islip.
Test of soil samples of the Deer Park debris also includes DDT, Lead, Arsenic, Benzofluoranthene and Zinc, the DA’s office said. The material contains semi-volatile organic compounds, pesticides and metals, authorities said.
Investigators have provided asbestos and soil sample results to the Department of Environmental Conservation, Suffolk County Water Authority and Suffolk County Department of Health Services.
In his statement, Spota said he believes “the same individuals and entities are responsible for this environmental crime,” but he did not identify any suspects.
