S. Galardi
DAN'S PAPERS, September 12, 2008 Page 21 www.danshamptons.com
Giant in the Mist Leatherback Turtle Washes Up in Georgica; Balloons Blow By By Susan M. Galardi Saturday morning was balmy and hazy, with a heavy mist in the air. Two rain showers had swept through the area Friday night, and the East End was in an anxious limbo, bracing for the soon-to-arrive vestiges of Tropical Storm Hanna. It was a good day for an adventure. The Tuesday before, we needed a picture of the Georgica jetties for an article in the paper about a recent court ruling absolving the county of responsibility for erosion at the Ireland property allegedly caused by these jetties. I had discovered an obscure path to Georgica beach — at the end of West End Road, beyond all the Dead End and “Private” signs. On this misty
day, it seemed like the perfect place of mystery to show my partner and our son. We stopped by Georgica Beach proper first. The crashing surf made conversation levels rise to a scream even in the parking lot. Seeing the double, triple waves on the beach, I said “Oh my God.” “Yep,” said a voice. A couple, sitting just at the entrance, was watching the spectacle from a safe distance. The scene on the beach was ominous. Visibility was maybe 50 feet. The water was coming all the way up to the dunes — just about to the fence. About a dozen people were on the beach. Our son joined in a game of tag with a father and son, splashing though the intermittent puddles made by the waves. We
decided to walk west, in search of treasure. But there was not much on the beach. Other than seaweed and driftwood, we saw only a blue plastic shovel with no handle, and a clear, heart-shaped helium balloon edged in pink. After just a few minutes we came upon a party of two women and a man of a certain age. One of the women, with the handsome face of old money — high cheek bones, silver hair, gleaming steely eyes made even more blue by her cobalt and white blouse — approached us slowly with her arms outstretched. “If you have the energy, about 50 yards before the third jetty there is an enormous leatherback (continued on page 28)
1,000,000 GAL. ‘TREATED’ WATER in BAY, EVERY DAY By T.J. Clemente With cleanup at the Sag Harbor Manufactured Gas Plant site (MGP) about to start September 22, Dan’s Papers took a close look at a N.Y. State Department of Health (DoH) report of the contaminates in the water below the site which are to be treated and then released into the harbor. Up to 750,000 to 1,000,000 gallons per day will pass through a long, well marked pipe into Sag Harbor’s outer cove area near the breakwater. The pipe will end about 600 feet east of the North Haven’s southeastern shore at the inlet that leads into Sag Harbor Bay.
The word “tar” is used throughout the report, but deeper into the document, it is explained that the tar is actually more like motor oil. The report actually states that a component of “some MGP tars” is in fact ferricferro-cyanide. What was most alarming was the following line: “While not dangerous in its bound form, certain conditions can release free cyanide, causing an exposure and risk both for humans and the environment.” Since the overall plan laid out in the August 2008 Fact Sheet released by the DoH calls for the contaminants to meet state limits before discharge into the harbor, the questions are: What is the estab-
lished “safe limit” for toxic waste byproducts released into a harbor? How do they make the decision of how much poison is OK? Also in the MPG tar are traces of BTEX compounds — benzene, toluene, ethlbenzene and ylenes — all of which are soluble in water. Although Renata Ockerby of the DoH assured me that the levels released would be within state limits, it was unclear what constitutes accepted levels for release of cyanide and the other Btex compounds. Also, there was no evidence of tests done to read the current levels of the toxins already in Sag Harbor Cove nor (continued on next page)