• NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Set To Do TMDL Study •
With County Executive Tom Suozzi's consolidation plan stuck in Limbo, we wrote to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to find out where the state stands on recognizing the environmental problems of Hempstead Bay, and specifically Reynolds Channel, due to the 60 millions gallons of effluent a day that emanates from the county's sewage treatment plant at Bay Park.
We also inquired when the NYSDEC would be performing a much needed Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study on Hempstead Bay to see what damage is already being done to the bay.
Here is the reply from Bill Fonda, Regional Citizen Participation Specialist, NYSDEC:
Thank you for your letter regarding the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant and its impact to Hempstead Bay.
Hempstead Bay was first listed in the State's 303(d) in 2006 as an impaired water body due to possible over enrichment of nitrogen from point and non-point sources. This listing is the first step in recognizing that Hempstead Bay is impaired and that a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) or a watershed restoration plan is needed. The listing was done based on input from the South Shore Estuary Reserve (SSER) Office, local government groups, and with the knowledge of New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) staff.
DEC has committed staff time this year to initiate the TMDL process by directing and overseeing the TMDL process through the South Shore Estuary Reserve Office. An initial planning meeting was held earlier this year with officials from the SSER, the New York Department of State and local municipal officials. The actual calculation of the TMDL will likely be conducted by a consultant that specializes in water quality modeling. Other related activities such as monitoring and data gathering, reports, will be done via contractors, local municipal staff, SSER staff, and state staff.
The TMDL process is tentatively scheduled to be completed by the end of 2013. During this process, meetings will be held with the SSER Citizens Advisory Commission. At the end of that process, a public workshop on the draft TMDL will be held. The TMDL is a comprehensive process that looks at all sources of nitrogen into the bay and determines how best to reduce the nitrogen loading into the bay. The costs associated with the entire TMDL process is conservatively estimated to be $2 million.
If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me at (631) 444-0350.
Sincerely,
Bill Fonda, Regional Citizen Participation Specialist
So what is next? The plan is to keep vigilant in watching that the county doesn't try to finagle funding from somewhere to try and push their ill-conceived consolidation plan through until the TMDL is completed. If the TMDL indicates the plant is the main contributor to the death of the bay, then the county will have no alternative to upgrade the sewage plant and maybe even really try to seek funding for a much needed ocean outfall pipe before trying to add more sewage. These are things that should already be happening to ensure that the Bay Park sewage treatment plant is run as clean and efficiently as possible. The only improvements to the plant since all this nonsense began back in January of 2008 has been the removal of the scavenger waste oil and a tree that was planted by the County Executive.
Check back for more exciting news as it happens!!!
