Residents near the Cove Hollow Road battery-storage facility in East Hampton are demanding expanded PFAS testing and clearer information after a 2023 fire that may have contaminated groundwater. Town officials ordered a revised emergency plan within 30 days and runoff controls within 60 days, warning approvals could be revoked. Tests reportedly found PFPrA up to 1,170 ppb in nearby wells, and state and county agencies are expanding water and soil investigations. Neighbors urge private-well testing and blood screening for potentially exposed residents.
‘Forever Chemicals’ Alarm: East Hampton Neighbors Demand PFAS Testing After 2023 Battery-Storage Fire
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Residents near a battery energy storage facility on Cove Hollow Road in East Hampton, New York, are pressing for expanded PFAS testing and clearer public information after a 2023 fire that may have released toxic runoff into local groundwater.
Town leaders have issued firm deadlines and safety requirements as pressure mounts on the facility's owners and operators, NextEra Energy and National Grid. East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez gave the companies 30 days to submit a revised emergency action and safety plan and 60 days to implement measures to contain any fire-related runoff, warning that approvals could be suspended or revoked for noncompliance.
What Officials and Residents Say
At a town board meeting, neighbors expressed growing alarm about possible exposures and long-term health risks. Local resident Sheryl Gold demanded greater openness and protections for the community's drinking water sources.
'We need more transparency, a plan for protecting our sole source of water and outreach to all those whose health may be seriously affected by this latest PFAS contamination,' Gold said, according to Newsday.
Evidence and Investigations
Legal filings and media reports raise the stakes: the Suffolk County Water Authority alleges that roughly 2.2 million gallons of water were discharged over about 30 hours following the blaze, initially pooling on site before flowing into surrounding soil and groundwater. Newsday reported detections of PFPrA (a type of PFAS) in monitoring wells south of the facility at concentrations reaching 1,170 parts per billion — far above New York State's screening level of 3 ppb.
Multiple agencies are investigating. Suffolk County's Department of Health Services is expanding groundwater testing around the battery site, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is sampling water and soil and drilling new monitoring wells. State regulators say they have not yet identified a single definitive source of contamination.
Health Actions and Community Requests
Neighbors and advocates are calling for immediate health protections, including blood testing for PFAS and other contaminants for potentially exposed residents and expedited testing for private wells in the area. Resident Coleen Kalbacher said she wants blood screening to 'secure long-term health protections' and urged that residents not be forced to wait for lengthy litigation.
Response From the Operators
NextEra Energy and National Grid issued a joint response saying they are reviewing the town's requests and remain committed to transparency, scientific rigor, and community safety while cooperating with local authorities.
Supervisor Burke-Gonzalez emphasized that public water currently meets drinking-water standards but reiterated that private-well owners in the affected area should consider testing. Her letter to the operators also requires the revised safety plan to address worst-case fire scenarios and guarantee zero discharge of contaminated water to soil or groundwater.
The town continues to monitor the situation and has warned that failure to meet the new safety and containment requirements could result in suspension or revocation of site approvals.
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