State environmental officials are planning to launch an investigation into hazardous materials that may be present at the former Steck Philbin landfill in Kings Park.

The 25-acre site is located off Old Northport Road in Kings Park.

The DEC says its preliminary investigation will sample soil, ground water and surface water for PFOS and PFOA. Those chemicals are used to make stain and water-resistant materials. Exposure over certain levels can cause cancer.

The outcome of a probe could delay a Suffolk County landbank plan to sell the tax-delinquent property.

If DEC officials find the former Steck landfill is a source of contamination and poses a "significant threat," the agency could designate it as a superfund site. That could tie up any redevelopment of the site for 10 or more years.

Less dire findings could allow cleanup through the state's Brownfield Cleanup Program, which could return the property to tax rolls in two to three years.

Newsday is reporting that Landbank officials accepted a bid from a landscaping company for another site next to Steck -- the former Izzo tire dump.

A Landbank official issued a statement saying in part, "The DEC has not indicated the need for the Izzo site in the cleanup of the Steck site. The linkage of the two properties -- Izzo and Steck -- is not supported by any credible evidence."