RyeCity REVIEW THE
August 31, 2018 | Vol. 6, Number 36 | www.ryecityreview.com
Save the Sound: Beaver Swamp Brook impaired
Music to my ears
By JAMES PERO Staff Writer
For the first time in more than a decade, Westchester Broadway Theatre will be showing “Phantom” beginning in September. For more, see page 6. Photo courtesy PhantomoftheOpera.com
First positive West Nile Virus case in Westchester Westchester County has learned of its first human case of West Nile Virus this year, which was confirmed in a 72-year-old Irvington resident who had been hospitalized, and is now recovering at home. The county Department of Health found no signs of mosquito breeding activity around the resident’s home but treated surrounding catch basins with larvicide. “This first case of West Nile Virus serves to remind all of us to take precautions against mosquito bites by removing standing water from our property after it rains and using repellents
when we spend time outdoors, especially from dusk to dawn, when mosquitoes are most active,” said Commissioner of Health Dr. Sherlita Amler. The Health Department prepared for the mosquito season by educating the public through news releases, flyers, social media and its website, where a new report on mosquito control and surveillance can be found on the West Nile Virus page. The Health Department also gave 400 pounds of free fathead minnows to residents with ponds to reduce the mosquito population. The minnows reduce the mosquito population by feeding on
larvae and pupae before they emerge into adult mosquitoes. Throughout the season, the Health Department also traps and tests mosquitoes to track the presence of mosquito-borne viruses in the county. So far this year, West Nile Virus was identified in three batches of local mosquitoes out of 199 batches tested so far. Last year, West Nile Virus was identified in five local mosquito batches out of 380 submitted for testing and three people were diagnosed with the virus. West Nile Virus infection most often causes a mild or moderate flu-like illness, but can
be more serious particularly for people 60 and older, and those with other health complications. To learn how to reduce the chances for mosquitoes to breed and bite around your home, watch this short video at health. westchestergov.com/west-nilevirus and follow these tips: • Avoid the outdoors in the late afternoon and early evening when mosquitoes are active and feeding, and use insect repellents when outdoors during these times. Be sure to follow the instructions on the label. - Adults can apply insect VIRUS continued on page 8
The environmental group Save the Sound has recommended that Beaver Swamp Brook—a tributary that runs through Harrison, Rye and Mamaroneck—be added to the state’s list of impaired water bodies. On Aug. 7, Save the Sound announced that it has submitted formal comments to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, DEC, recommending that Beaver Swamp Brook be added to the list of impaired waters due to consistent bacterial contamination. “Over four years of testing by our water quality team have confirmed that these sections of Beaver Swamp Brook consistently have elevated levels of fecal bacteria,” said Bill Lucey the Long Island Soundkeeper for Save the Sound. “The Brook clearly needs more attention to help restore it to a condition where it’s safe to swim in and fish from, as the Clean Water Act requires.” Waterways that are designated impaired by the DEC have increased priority and resources for remediation. The list—which is mandated by the federal Clean Water Act—is updated every two years. According to routine measurements of Beaver Swamp Brook’s bacterial levels, elevated levels of fecal coliforms—harmful bacteria found in human and animal waste—have plagued areas of the waterway since the start of testing back in 2014.
According to Save the Sound, some samplings of Beaver Swamp’s bacteria level exceed the threshold set by the Environmental Protection Agency, by as much as 50 times the allowable amount of bacteria per sample. Earlier this month, Save the Sound analyst Elena Colon told the Review that in recent samples a Beaver Swamp site behind Rye Neck High School, showed levels of enterococcus that ranged from 700 to as high as 9,000 bacteria per sample. The safe swimming standard dictates that anything above 104 per sample is considered unsafe. The source of the contamination, according to a lawsuit filed by Save the Sound in 2015, is miles of neglected and porous sewer lines running throughout Westchester County that have been leeching raw sewage waste into tributaries and endangering human safety and wetlands across the county. Last year, 11 municipalities named in that lawsuit, have agreed to a court-ordered timeline for studying the extent of future repairs for sewer lines as part of a settlement, in what Save the Sound considers a major win for its cause. In a 2017 bacteria report conducted by the environmental group, Beaver Swamp Brook clocked in as the third worst sample area across all of Westchester, marking the fourth consecutive year that the area has been among the most contaminated sample locations. CONTACT: james@hometwn.com
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