Friday, February 7, 2020
Vol. 79, No. 6
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SERVING BETHPAGE, OLD BETHPAGE, AND PLAINVIEW
CHEERING INTO 1ST PLACE
Plume clean up pipes to be placed in utility easement BY GARY SIMEONE
The Division Avenue High School varsity cheerleading team won first place in the coed division at their cheer competition on Jan. 4. Pictured with coaches Liz Lynch (right) and Cristen Ronzo (second right). . The team is led by captains junior Erica Ramos and senior Emily Darvid. Photo courtesy of the Levittown Public Schools
Carcinogen in Levittown well BY GARY SIMEONE
Recent testing at a water supply well at the Seamans Neck station in Levittown showed the presence of the contaminant 1,4-dioxane. The well, which is owned and operated by the New York American Water company, is one of three wells on Long Island that was found to contain traces
of VOC's (Volatile Organic Compound.) Lee Mueller, spokesperson for NY American Water, said that the company operates at 55 sites throughout the state including 4 sites on Long Island. “Three out of the four sites that were tested on Long Island, including wells in Roosevelt and Glen Head,
showed the presence of these compounds,” said Mueller. “Both sites in Roosevelt and Levittown tested positive for 1,4-dioxane, and our well in Glen Head showed trace amounts of PFOS or perfluorooctanesulfonate acid.” She said that even though the water company is in compliance with the current See page 27
It was back in August of last year, when a meeting was held in regards to Northrop's Grumman plan to install underground pipelines along residential streets in Bethpage. The pipe system was meant to help remove toxic chemicals from the water supply as a result of the notorious, ever-growing plume, which has plagued the community for decades. In an Oyster Bay Town Hall meeting last Tuesday, Town Supervisor, Joseph Saladino and the Oyster Bay Town Board, authorized plans to purchase a utility easement for infrastructure to treat the Grumman-Navy Plume. The easement, located off of Central and North Windhorst Avenue, will remove an area of pipeline from a residential block and house the necessary equipment to help prevent the expansion of the plume. Saladino said the move would help homeowners and residents from having to deal with additional anxiety and disruption to their lives. “Although remediation of the Grumman-Navy plume will require miles of pipeline throughout the town of Oyster Bay, we will do our part to protect homeowners wherever possible,” said Saladino. “In this instance, it makes more sense to move the pipeline off a residential street and into a utility easement.” He said that even though the displaced pipeline would be an added
expense for Grumman, the Town would be willing to condemn property to make it happen. “The Town will do all it can to protect residential blocks from being dug up as the community has already suffered long enough from this ongoing environmental nightmare.” The DEC, (Department of Environmental Conservation,) in its efforts to help control the plume, imposed on Northrop Grumman, that they develop infrastructure to help facilitate the ongoing groundwater remediation plan. The plan includes the installation of three extraction wells and underground piping to connect the treatment system. Saladino said that an easement off of Central and Windhorst, was an ideal location to move a portion of the infrastructure away from residential properties. “A portion of the easement is located within the King Kullen shopping center, which is considered private property,” said Saladino. “It was brought to our attention that Northrop Grumman was unsuccessful in negotiating the use of this easement with the property owner, so the Town stepped in to do what’s necessary to continue to protect our residents.” The Town Board voted last week to approve the Town’s attorney’s office, to begin efforts of negotiation or if necessary acquiring the property by eminent domain.
All-County musicians at Hicksville HS PAGE 4 HMS students pen pride of country PAGE 3