By Hector Flores
The incident occurred on Thursday, Sept. 4, when the trucking company Wind River Environmental dumped more than 10,000 gallons of raw sewage into the canal, which is in the heart of a residential community along Shore Road.
According to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, the contractors, hired by the Town of Hempstead, picked up the sewage from Newbridge Park's septic tank and were supposed to take it to the Cedar Creek Nassau County Sewer Plant in Wantagh for treatment. Instead they dumped the sewage into a nearby storm drain that empties into Grand View Canal, the DEC said.
After the incident, the DEC banned shell fishing in the canal and nearby east and south Oyster Bays. Shell fishing was allowed to resume in the bays on Thursday, Sept. 11.
However, the DEC and the Town of Hempstead Department of Conservation and Waterways said that bacteria levels in the canal were still high and that residents were advised against fishing and swimming.
Hugh Mason, who lives on Shore Road, was angered by the dumping, which he believes has ruined the canal for local residents. "Nothing like this has ever happened before," he said. "My children swim in this canal, catch crabs and fish. I'm afraid that by next summer, my children will still not be able to swim in the canal or catch crabs and fish anymore."
Cynthia Brown, a spokeswoman for the Nassau County Department of Health, said the natural flushing of water in the canal will eventually wash away the sewage contaminants. "Generally, if sewage is not treated there are certain diseases that people need to worry about," she said. "There is Hepatitis A and other intestinal viruses. However, these disease-causing organisms generally don't exist in a marine environment, and die as a result of the natural flushing of water and ultra light."
Since dumping sewage into clean water is a crime, the Nassau County District Attorney's office is currently conducting an investigation into the matter. According to Rick Hinshaw, a spokesman for the district attorney, the Criminal Fraud Bureau handles all environmental crimes.
Releasing sewage into the environment carries a potential civil penalty of $25,000, Hinshaw said. However, in a criminal case, penalties can range up to a year in jail.
The Town of Hempstead, which contracted with the trucking company, told local residents that the town is cooperating with the DEC and local law enforcement officials in an effort to provide homeowners with the most updated information.
Nassau County Legislator David Denenberg (D-Merrick) believes that if Newbridge Park were connected to the Nassau County sewer system, this incident could have been avoided. "From the time that the sewer system has been available [since 1970], all homes and businesses had one year to be connected," he said. "I just don't know why the Town of Hempstead has not done it yet."
Susie Trenkle, a spokeswoman for the Town of Hempstead, said that the town is exempt from the Nassau County ordinance, though it is looking into the feasibility of hooking up to the system.
Currently the town pays Wind River Environmental to pump out the waste from Newbridge Park's septic tank. Once the tank is emptied, the waste is taken to the Cedar Creek Nassau County Sewer Plant to be treated.
"When Wind River Environmental was contracted, they should have known the proper procedure in dealing with the sewage," Trenkle said. "They are an environmental company whose primary function is to clean and pump septic systems."
She added that once the DA reveals its findings, the Town of Hempstead will take the appropriate action with the company.
Despite the town's stance, Denenberg still believes that having the park connected to the sewer line would only benefit the community in the long run. "Whether the town says it doesn't comply to county law or that the sewer is not available, hooking up to the sewer system is more important than having a septic tank that may eventually leak and have its contents seep into the nearby bay," he said.
According to Leonard Burger, president of the White City Community Council, the Town of Hempstead is the only agency that has gone out of its way to keep residents informed about the safety of the canal. "The Town of Hempstead has done an exceptional job," he said. "They were the first ones on the scene and were just phenomenal. I must give them credit, because they were the first to inform residents [of] what had occurred."
Burger added that although the town had contracted with Wind River Environmental, it was ultimately the contractors who decided to dump the sewage into the canal. "These guys broke the law and ruined a very important aspect of the neighborhood," he said. "A lot of the families who live here love to fish and catch blue crabs, and this has ruined our fall water season. We try to keep the canal as clean as we can and then this company comes and dumps on us. That is just not right."
The Herald was unable to reach a Wind River Environmental representative at press time.
