Water

A scene from a previous Polar Plunge at Mt. Sinai’s Cedar Beach. Bill Landon photo

Hundreds of brave Special Olympics New York supporters are expected to participate in the Polar Plunge Saturday, November 23, running into the freezing waters of the Long Island Sound to raise funds and awareness for local Special Olympics athletes and programming.

The Polar Plunge is one of the most popular, profitable, and exciting fundraisers for Special Olympics New York. Participants raise money by asking friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances for donations. Event details are as follows.

When: Saturday, November 23, 2024
            9:30 a.m. – Registration
11:30 a.m. – Polar Plunge

Where: Cedar Beach, Mount Sinai
             244 Harbor Beach Rd, Mt Sinai, NY 11766

Link: Donate or Support the Plunge Here.

For additional information, please contact Alexis Dawson at [email protected] or 631-386-8038.

About Special Olympics New York

Special Olympics New York is one of the largest state chapters in the country, serving more than 45,000 athletes across New York with year-round sports training, athletic competition, and health screenings. The organization also partners with more than 300 schools statewide to offer Unified Sports, where students with and without disabilities compete as teammates. All Special Olympics New York programs are offered at no cost to athletes, their families or caregivers. The organization has earned the Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar.com and a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, making it one of the most trusted charities in the business nationally. For additional information about Special Olympics New York, to learn more about getting involved, or to make a donation, visit www.specialolympicsNY.org.

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine

On Election Day, voters will cast their votes for president, U.S. Senate, Congress and state legislators. In Suffolk County, voters also have a once-in-a-generation chance to safeguard the future of Suffolk County’s surface and groundwater in Proposition 2.

The proposition allows Suffolk County to begin the process of updating our wastewater infrastructure for the 21st century. Whether it is sewering our downtowns or supporting neighbors installing I/A systems to combat nitrogen pollution, the successful passage of Proposition 2 gives us the tools we need.

Passage of Prop 2 establishes Suffolk’s eligibility for state and federal funding. Recouping as many tax dollars from New York state is important to operate Suffolk County.

Proposition 2 also continues the highly successful Suffolk County Drinking Water Protection Program (SCDWPP), which has preserved thousands of acres of environmentally sensitive land, stabilized sewer rates and supported clean water efforts.

We don’t have to look far to see the need for improved wastewater infrastructure. Harmful algal blooms, brown tides, rust tides, mahogany tides and hypoxia fill our summer headlines and cause many beach closures each season.

We know, though, that with sewers, smart zoning and open space preservation, the damage is reversible. The obstacles we face are steep but not insurmountable.

Building sewage infrastructure creates jobs and helps small businesses and downtowns flourish. Advancing our downtowns creates permanent jobs in our communities and expands housing options for young people starting out and older folks looking to downsize. Our legacy fishing industry and emerging aquaculture industry will be able to expand employment and production as the environment improves.

It’s no exaggeration to say that passage of Proposition 2 is the most important measure voters have had on the ballot in generations. Its passage will strengthen our environment and protect the way of life that is a cornerstone of Suffolk County. This is not a political issue; it affects every present—and future—resident of Suffolk County and beyond.

Remember to vote on Nov. 5 or take advantage of early voting. For more information on voting, please visit: https://suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/BOE.

Ed Romaine

Suffolk County Executive

 

Port Jefferson Harbor. Photo by Beth Heller Mason

By George Hoffman

This Election Day, voters face an important ballot question: Proposition 2, the Clean Water referendum. If passed, this measure will fund crucial efforts to protect our drinking water and our bays and harbors from harmful nitrogen pollution. Much of this excess nitrogen comes from outdated cesspool systems in homes throughout Suffolk County.

Flax Pond

Nitrogen pollution is the primary cause of water degradation in our streams and coastal waters, and it also threatens our deep aquifers. Fortunately, there are affordable solutions available to reduce nitrogen pollution, which will allow us to begin restoring local water quality to healthier levels.

As one of the founders of the Setauket Harbor Task Force and someone who has monitored water conditions in Port Jefferson and Setauket harbors for nearly a decade, I’ve witnessed firsthand how nitrogen disrupts the delicate ecological balance in these fragile environments. Nitrogen acts like a steroid in marine systems, fueling excessive seaweed growth and harmful algal blooms. These blooms can lead to fish kills and unsightly seaweed buildup along the shoreline, impacting the quality of our recreational waters. With climate change heating our local waters, we are at greater risk of more frequent algal blooms, which will only exacerbate the problems we are already facing.

Proposition 2 offers a solution: for just 1/8th of a penny in sales tax, we can create a reliable funding source to help homeowners replace their outdated cesspools with modern low-nitrogen systems. This change will significantly reduce nitrogen levels, leading to cleaner water in our harbors and bays.

This Election Day, remember to flip your ballot and vote “Yes” on Prop 2 for clean water and a healthier environment in Suffolk County. Supporting this measure is essential for ensuring that we take the necessary steps to protect our vital water resources for future generations. Together, we can secure a cleaner, safer environment for our community, benefiting both residents and local ecosystems.

Author George Hoffman is a member of the Setauket Harbor Task Force.

Members of the Setauket Harbor Task Force. Photo from George Hoffman

Save the Sound’s most recent report card states that inner and outer Port Jefferson Harbor, as well as middle Port Jefferson Harbor (Setauket Harbor), are among Long Island Sound’s top five waterways, boasting strong water chemistry. Water chemistry ratings indicate that a body of water has healthy chemical conditions that support aquatic life and overall ecosystem health.

This is something to celebrate, as stormwater systems have steadily reduced our harbors’ nitrogen levels over the past 30 years.

However, despite our improved knowledge of waste disposal and our diligent efforts to test our water’s chemical and bacterial levels, more work remains to be done.

August’s devastating storm served as a stark reminder that Mother Nature is a powerful force. Despite our area’s best efforts, advanced technologies, and state-of-the-art flood safeguards, millions of dollars in damage proved that even our best preventive efforts can be in vain.

That is why we must not remain stagnant in our efforts to protect our island. Worsening weather conditions can easily overshadow even our most cautious endeavors. Following the recent storm, bacteria levels in Stony Brook Harbor and neighboring waterways spiked, creating an unsuitable environment for aquatic life—not to mention the dozens of fish that washed up on our streets.

So, TBR implores you: Please continue your efforts to keep our environment clean and safe. Properly dispose of household chemicals and waste, minimize fertilizer and pesticide use, and maintain your car to prevent leaks.

Don’t forget to pick up litter you see in the streets and be mindful of your own waste. Community cleanups are frequently held in our coverage areas, providing not only a great way to keep our environment pristine but also an opportunity to connect with fellow community members. Water conservation is crucial, as well. It helps maintain healthy water levels in rivers, lakes, and estuaries, preventing excessive pollution concentration, protecting our aquatic ecosystems, and ensuring sufficient water for recreation and wildlife survival.

Bask in the success of our environmental consciousness, but don’t rest on your laurels. Together, we can make Long Island cleaner and safer for our ecosystems than ever before!

Bert Conover and George Hoffman, water monitoring volunteers, hold a sign highlighting the five best and worst scoring bay segments, for New York water chemistry. Courtesy George Hoffman

By Mallie Jane Kim

The water chemistry in Port Jefferson Harbor rates as some of the best among bays in Long Island Sound, according to a new report by bistate environmental organization Save the Sound.

The biannual report card released Oct. 10 was based on data collected in 2023 and showed middle Port Jefferson Harbor, the area near Strong’s Neck and Old Field, tied for top marks with Oyster Bay and Mill Neck Creek, which is also in Oyster Bay. Those three areas earned an “A-” in water chemistry quality.

Inner Port Jefferson Harbor, also known as Setauket Harbor, and outer Port Jefferson Harbor, adjacent to Port Jefferson Village, both received a “B+” to round out the top five. The inner port score is up from a “C” in the report card released in 2022, and the outer harbor is down from “A-.”

“We’re pretty happy about it,” said George Hoffman of the Setauket Harbor Task Force, which has been taking water chemistry measurements at set locations within Port Jefferson Harbor twice a month from May through October since 2018. “We’re seeing small evidence of the improvement that we have advocated for.”

According to Hoffman, the harbors have seen a 50% reduction in nitrogen in the harbor over the last 30 years due to structural improvements in stormwater catchment systems and tightened regulations on nitrogen levels in treated sewage that is piped out into area bays.

The task force was part of securing a grant that paid for a storm water collection system on 25A near Setauket Pond Park, and they regularly educate boaters about a free pump-out service to prevent them from dumping human waste into the harbors.

“We’re like guardians of the harbor,” Hoffman said.

The task force is one of 27 harbor groups in Connecticut and on Long Island that participate in the Save the Sound program. Citizen scientists wake up at early hours to bring scientific equipment to specific locations and take measurements at predetermined depths, together monitoring 57 bay segments in the Sound. They measure things like dissolved oxygen, water clarity, chlorophyll, salinity and temperature. They also look at seaweed accumulation.

To note, area counties are responsible for testing for bacteria and other direct water-quality markers, but the water chemistry factors are also indicative of water health. For example, high chlorophyll levels tend to predict algae blooms.

More than 98% of Long Island’s open waters earned a grade “B” or higher, though several areas close to New York City, in the “Western Narrows,” earned an “F.”

“It’s clear that past investment in nitrogen pollution reduction from wastewater infrastructure is linked to improving the open waters of Long Island Sound,” said Save the Sound’s vice president for water protection, David Ansel, at the report card release “Now, our challenge is to find the political will to extend and expand this investment.”

By Aramis Khosronejad

Blydenburgh County Park in Smithtown has been one of Long Island’s shining gems. Its endless outdoors activities for nature lovers and the beautiful scenery of Stump Pond have made it a favorite of Long Island residents. 

However, the North Shore flooding Aug. 18-19 dramatically changed the county park’s immediate future. The park, like the Mill Pond in Stony Brook, is suffering the repercussions of the flash flood. 

Blydenburgh Park is situated at the headwaters of Nissequogue River and is 627 acres of preserved land. Blydenburgh Lake, otherwise known as Stump Pond due to the stumps of the various trees that were cut down to create the lake, has an additional history which adds to its charm.

The lake was created by a dam constructed by Isaac Blydenburgh and his cousins all the way back in 1798. Over 200 years later, the original dam would be breached by a once-in-a-thousand-years flash flooding for Long Island, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D) website description. The Weather Network said there was almost 12 inches of rainfall in Smithtown alone. 

The destruction of the dam was a catastrophe for Blydenburgh Lake. The water poured into the Nissequogue River, turning the remains of the famous lake into a dry mud land with only a few meager ponds here and there. 

There are various consequences of this kind of colossal drainage, one of which is the effect it will have on wildlife in the area. Blydenburgh was a favorite spot for locals to fish, according to On The Water magazine. The drainage of the lake resulted in a “popular fishery being wiped out overnight,” according to On The Water’s Nick Cancelliere. 

Residents who enjoy other outdoor water activities such as kayaking and canoeing are pushing for a quick restoration of the Blydenburgh dam. 

A month ago, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R) made a public statement affirming the local sentiment about the reconstruction of the dam. “We will be restoring [the dam] as soon as possible,” he said.

The question remains: How will the county manage this immense repair and how long will it take? 

Peter Scully is director of business development for Hayduk Engineering of Ronkonkoma and former deputy county executive, and has an extensive history working for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. In an interview with TBR, he underscored the rarity of such an event as the one witnessed by Long Islanders in August.

He continued on, saying how recovery for any park greatly affected by the flash flood, such as Smithtown’s Blydenburgh Park, would take a long time. 

Financial support for this size of repair will have to come from the state and federal government.

All that locals are able to do is wait and see how the reconstruction of the treasured Blydenburgh Park will play out, how long it will be and what it will take.

File photo

The Suffolk County Water Authority will host a Pharmaceutical Take Back Day on Saturday, September 28, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the SCWA Education Center, 260 Motor Parkway, Hauppauge. This event offers a simple and environmentally responsible way for residents to dispose of unused or expired medications. No sign-up is required—just drive up, drop off your medications, and leave. Note that medical sharps cannot be accepted.

“We are excited to partner with the Suffolk County Police Department to help our customers properly dispose of their pharmaceuticals,” said SCWA Chairman Charles Lefkowitz. “By participating in this event, customers help protect our sole-source aquifer by disposing of medications properly, rather than flushing them, which can harm our water supply. We encourage all Suffolk County residents to join us.”

When medications are flushed down the toilet, they run the risk of contaminating Long Island’s aquifer, which can be a detriment to public health.This event serves as a kickoff to Source Water Protection Week, when water providers bring attention to the importance of safeguarding our natural water sources.

After residents drop off their medications during the Pharmaceutical Take Back Day event, they will be taken by a Suffolk County Police Officer to be safely incinerated, ensuring that these contaminants do not end up in the aquifer. Attendees will also be invited to come into the education center to learn more about what the SCWA does and the importance of protecting precious water sources.

About SCWA:

The Suffolk County Water Authority is an independent public-benefit corporation operating under the authority of the Public Authorities Law of the State of New York. Serving approximately 1.2 million Suffolk County residents, the Authority operates without taxing power on a not-for-profit basis.

Matt Makarius secures a tag line to Ryan Parmegiani as they prepare to enter the floodwater Aug. 19. Photo courtesy PJFD

By Lynn Hallarman

At 10 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 18, Christian Neubert, second assistant chief for the Port Jefferson Fire Department, responded to what seemed like a routine call. The skies over Port Jefferson village were clear. But shortly after that, the village was caught unaware by an unrelenting downpour that would last nearly six hours.

“Once the rain started, we had very few moments of it letting up,” Neubert said in a phone interview with TBR News Media. The storm’s intensity caught everyone off guard.

Then, the firehouse started to flood. The station’s dispatchers could see through surveillance cameras that water was collecting in the back parking lot and the storm drains were slowing as water began to flow in reverse. 

Dangerous conditions

Flooding at the Port Jeff fire station in the early morning of Aug. 19. Photo courtesy PJFD

Neubert recalled that at 11:20 p.m., Chief Anthony Barton notified all department members to respond to the firehouse to assist with worsening flood conditions. The fire trucks were moved out of the station, but rapidly rising waters filled with sewage and contaminants prevented members from moving gear and other equipment. 

Soon, the calls for help started to come in. From 11 p.m. until 3 a.m., firefighters responded to 11 urgent water rescues as vehicles became trapped in rising floodwaters. Rescuers worked in pairs tethered by a rope, with one firefighter in the water, the other on solid ground. This strategy ensured that no one was swept away or sucked into an open manhole. 

“The most dangerous aspect of flood rescues is to our team. As the drainage system in the village backs up, the manhole covers will literally blow off. That night, there were open manhole covers throughout the village,” Neubert said. 

No firefighters or rescued members of the public were hurt that night, but people needed to be transported to the Village Grocery’s parking lot, where they could eventually be picked up by someone. The fire station, now flooded with 3 feet of water, could not be used to stage the station’s emergency response or serve as a temporary shelter for flood victims.

Complicating matters, firefighters were dispatched to respond to several fire alarms, which were triggered, it turns out, by floodwaters.

With the fire station out of commission, rescuers were forced to rely on radio communication while sitting in their trucks in torrential rain. The constant pelting on the vehicles made conversations hard to hear over the radio. And it was dark. 

For hours, the fire department battled two emergencies at once: the flooding of their station and responding to calls for help from community members.

Storm surge vs. flash rain 

A flooded vehicle the night of the storm. Photo courtesy PJFD

Neubert recounted the difference in conditions during Hurricane Sandy in 2012 compared to this rain event. He explained that Sandy’s flooding resulted from surging tides in a slow rise. 

“We had time to prepare,” he said. “We took the fire trucks out of the building and staged them throughout various village locations. All the firefighting gear was moved to very high ground, well ahead of time.” 

This time, however, was different — a sudden and unexpected deluge is harder to prepare for. The worst flooding of the fire station in recent years has resulted from heavy rainfall over a short period, as in 2018, 2021 and now 2024. 

This most recent storm was the most damaging. “Our biggest loss was the machine we use to fill our air bottles, with the replacement cost nearing $100,000,” Neubert said. “Our contaminated gear needed professional cleaning.” The entire ground floor of the building required an extensive cleanup, and repairs are still being made to the walls and floors.

The fire department has federal flood insurance to absorb most of the cost of the cleanup. However, what cannot be accounted for are the person-hours devoted to resolving a multitude of logistical complications in the flood’s aftermath. 

“It’s the ripple effect on operations that are most challenging,” Neubert said. While he emphasized that the response to community emergencies is not impacted, they temporarily need to rely on neighboring fire departments to fill their air bottles and host training events. 

“And the community may forget our firefighters, about 100, who are all volunteers, live in the village and work full-time jobs,” he said. 

The fire station sits in a floodplain 

This reporter went on a three-hour tour of the downtown flood basin with former village mayor and longtime firefighter Mike Lee. Many years ago, the salt marsh was slowly filled in to accommodate new construction, disrupting the natural water management between the harbor and the higher ground. Now, much of the runoff flows into an overwhelmed culvert system, worsening flooding and putting additional stress on critical infrastructure such as the firehouse. 

“The town, when first developed, was situated above the salt marsh, not on top of it,” Lee said. “The original Main Street was what is now East Main Street,” he said as we walked downhill toward the Gap parking lot.

The flooding problem is compounded by frequent heavy rainstorms related to climate change. The fire station sits atop a high-water table, once the salt marsh. 

Moving the station? 

“I do know for certainty, there is not another fire department in Suffolk County that floods,” Neubert said. 

But he chuckled when asked about moving the fire station. “We would if it was realistic,” he said. It is not from want of trying, he pointed out. 

“Find me an affordable 2 1/2-acre available piece of flat property within the boundaries of our 3-mile fire district that is not too near residential housing and is close enough so the response time to an emergency is not increased,” he said. 

And this wish doesn’t include the cost of a new building. 

According to Neubert, to preserve an ideal response time, a new firehouse would need to be situated in the fire district’s central geographic location, somewhere in the vicinity of Belle Terre Road and Myrtle Avenue. 

For now, the fire department is doing everything it can to mitigate flood damage. “We are using FEMA money to install flood doors,” he said. “All the radio-server equipment has been moved to the second floor.”

The goal, he reflected, is to make sure the department is not fighting too many battles at once. 

The Port Jefferson Civic Association is actively working to raise community awareness and build local support for the fire department, as the department considers options to address the flooding issue long term. 

“Flooding is our greatest challenge,” Ana Hozyainova, president of the civic, said. “Yet, we’re not making strategic decisions as a community to help safeguard a vital asset — the fire department.” 

“Their job is to protect our property, livelihoods and lives. The danger is that, eventually, their own crisis could grow so large that they won’t be able to respond to ours,” she added. 

By Rita J. Egan

Hundreds visited Long Beach in Nissequogue on Saturday, Sept. 7, to satisfy their curiosity about Stony Brook Harbor and the waterway’s inhabitants.

The villages of Head of the Harbor and Nissequogue, along with The Friends of Stony Brook Harbor, partnered to host Harbor Day at the Long Beach boat launch with Stony Brook Harbor as its background. Last year, the event returned after a 15-year hiatus.

Nissequogue Mayor Richard Smith presented Peter Scully, Suffolk’s former deputy county executive, with The Friends of Stony Brook Harbor Lifetime Achievement Award. “There is no better candidate,” Smith said.

The mayor congratulated Scully, who resides in Stony Brook and grew up in St. James, on his longtime commitment to improving the health of local waterways, including his work with nitrogen remediation during his tenure with the county.

Upon accepting the award, Scully, dubbed Suffolk’s “water czar” when he was deputy county executive, said he didn’t consider himself a water champion but someone who had been in the right place at the right time on many occasions “working with a lot of outstanding elected officials.”

Environmentalist John Turner, of Setauket and the Four Harbors Audubon Society, accepted the Dr. Larry Swanson Environmental Award from Head of the Harbor Mayor Michael Utvesky. 

“Name any endangered part of nature on Long Island, and John L. Turner will be there to help preserve it,” Utevsky said.

Turner said he was honored to accept the same recognition as the 2023 recipient, Suffolk County Legislator Steven Englebright (D-Setauket), and the award that bears Swanson’s name.

“I knew Larry and had a great deal of respect for him,” Turner said. 

In addition to the awards ceremony, attendees enjoyed various activities including live music, a talk by historian Vivian Nicholson-Mueller about harbor life in the 1860s and a dunk tank. Representatives from Four Harbors Audubon Society, Sweetbriar Nature Center, Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons and more were on hand with educational activities and to answer questions about Stony Brook Harbor and its aquatic animals.

By Toni-Elena Gallo

Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society held its 15th annual Music Fest on Saturday, Aug. 31. The event takes place each year between Huntington Bay and Lloyd Harbor and brings together lovers of the sea and lovers of rock ’n’ roll.

In 1985 the lighthouse was scheduled for demolition, but the nonprofit HLPS took it over and has worked to preserve and restore it ever since.

A variety of bands, ranging in genre from reggae to classic rock, played from 11 a.m. to dusk, at the top of Huntington Lighthouse, a historical landmark that has existed in its current incarnation since 1912, and housed the families of keepers from the 19th- to the early 20th century.

The unique design of this festival — it is only accessible by taking a boat for about a 10-minute ride out of Huntington Harbor — adds to the excitement it generates among boaters.

“We’ve got 1,500-plus boats here from Connecticut, New Jersey, Westchester, Rhode Island. They come from all over the place,” said Pam Setchell, president of the preservation society. “There is no music fest, anywhere in the world, that is performed on top of a working lighthouse. That’s the ace in the hole. As long as my roof is in good shape, we’re good,” she said with a laugh.

The Next Level, one of the festival’s acts, was thrilled to be back performing for the third time.

“It is awesome. We love playing here,” said Althea, the group’s lead singer.

And, to top off the day of festivities, lights illuminate the small lighthouse as dusk approaches, creating a colorful spectacle.

The festival was free to attend, and all proceeds from the 50/50 raffle went toward lighthouse restoration.