UPDATED INFO: Suffolk Water Authority: To install new meters at Both Beaches on Monday March 22. They will also restore service at Valley Grove.
Planning and Zoning Report 3-2010
POENB Beaches:
Planning for improvements at both beaches is getting underway – if you want to attend committee meetings or just want to share comments or suggestion please contact for Price’s Bend Beach – Planning Committee – contact Jim Morcerf at regal105@optonline.net
For Valley Grove – Planning Committee – contact Maria Siragusa at mesiragua@optonline.net
Town of Huntington’s Hobart Beach:
On behalf of the Association I met along with Ken Black with TOH Councilwoman Susan Berland, Harry Acker, Director of Maritime Service, Bruce Richard, Director of Public Safety, Don McKay Director of Parks and Recreation and Sean Cavanaugh from General Services to discuss Hobart Beach;
ü Town has the permit to patch the ramp so that will be accomplished for this season
ü Full or perhaps partial paving take place – budget is still being reviewed
ü New stripping of the parking lines will be completed for this season (they will follow existing patterns) even if they don’t re-pave
ü Night vision cameras will be installed for this season
ü 1 Dumpster near the ramp, no fencing around the dumpster the poles that supported the fencing will be removed
ü 55 gallon drums instead of the small light weight cans
ü Security during the season will be rotated between Crab Meadow and Hobart 8pm-4am (as was last year)
ü Hobart will be raked – no money to bring in new sand
ü Life Guards and Beach Attendants are needed for TOH Hobart Beach if you are interested in working for the Town this summer at the beach you must go to Town of Huntington Human resources NOT the Parks Department in person;
Huntington Town Hall, 100 Main Street Huntington, Personnel Department 2nd floor
Room 210.
Storm Water/Water Quality Update:
The Suffolk County Health Department has issued its report regarding the water quality at Valley Grove Beach, from the Sanitary Survey Project Assessment Report, Centerport Yacht Club & Valley Grove Beaches; Recommendation; “Because Storm Water Discharges are the principal pollutant sources affecting water quality at Valley Grove Beach, and results for a t least one of the major outfalls suggests the contamination is non-human in origin, remediation efforts should focus on utilizing standard best management practices (BMP’s) (pollution prevention, public education and outreach, etc.), the use of appropriate structural BMP’s should also be considered. Structural BMP’s can include, swales, recharge basins, ponds, wetlands, filters and a number of manufactured devices such as catch basin insets, separators and filters. Considering the level of residential development in Eatons Neck, where open space is generally unavailable, use of subsurface treatment systems (infiltration chambers and galleys), and possibly one of the storm filter technologies may be the most cost effective approach.
Aside from supporting efforts to mitigate the storm water flows, members of the Eatons Neck Property Owners Association should adopt a precautionary advisory policy of recommending against bathing at Valley Grove Beach for at least 24-hr period following rainfall amounts of 0.5” or grater. Although Suffolk County generally uses a rainfall threshold of 1” or greater for issuing bathing advisories in the Huntington-Northport Bay area, data from this study indicates that the rainfall amounts in the 0.5-1.0” range occurring in the 24-hours prior to sampling, significantly impact bacterial levels at Valley Grove.”
The reports summary Conclusion:
At he Valley Grove beach, potential sources of fecal contamination identified during surveys was limited to storm water runoff being discharged through a series of outfalls located in the vicinity of the beach, that possibly contained leachate from residential on-site systems.
Dye-tests conducted on a number of nearby septic systems prior to the onset of this project, were negative, indicating that direct connections a the sites tested were not an issue. Due to the considerable number of on-site-septic systems in the upland residential areas however, it was not practical to resume dye-testing as part of this effort.
Results of samples collected from sites along the Eatons Neck west shoreline, showed maximum enterococcus levels at the bathing beach (H28) and at the station location just north of the beach (H28N1). Both sites are located adjacent to outfall discharges (VG1 &VG2).
Average enterococcus concentrations declined in a southerly direction away from the beach and outfalls, likely illustrating effects form tidal mixing. Results for samples collected at Hobart Beach, located a short distance to the south of Valley Gove, were seemingly unaffected by contamination from the outfall discharges.
In terms of beach water quality criteria, 14 samples collected at the beach (15.7%) exceeded the single-sample enterococcus criteria. The 30-day geometric mean however, remained below the 35cfu/100ml limit throughout the season.
An analysis of enterococcus densities at the beach that resulted following rainfall amounts, particularly for those occurring in the 24-hrs prior to sampling.
The association was similarly revealed by linear correlation analysis, where the coefficient (Pearson's r) for rainfall occurring in the previous 24-hr period was 0.678(p<0.001).
In a multiple regression analysis, the combination of factors (model) that best predicted enterococcus levels, included rainfall and tidal variables. Effects from other factors (salinity, temperature, wind, wave height, etc.) were statistically insignificant.
As expected, results of sampling conducted at three outfalls bracketing the beach (VG1, VG2 & VG4), revealed significantly elevated enterococcus concentrations, with maximum values occurring in relation to rainfall. Samples collected for analysis of Bacteroides were positive at the genus level, indicating fecal contamination from warm-blooded animals was present.
Results for human-specific Barcteroides analysis done on a sample from outfall site VG2, which had an enterococcus result of 18,900 cfu/100mlm were negative for both human primers. This finding indicates that contamination in the flow from the outfall, located north of Valley Grove beach off Essex Drive, is likely from non-human sources such as birds, domestic animals and/ or other wildlife.
Samples from the other two outfall sites analyzed for Bacteroides (VGM/VG1 and VG4), yielded inconclusive results, leaving the issue of whether human resources are involved at these location still uncertain. Although these discharges are associated with the same residential subdivision as VG2, and are likely to be similar, additional samples will be required for verification.
In coordination with the County’s recommendations we had been closing VG to swimming and will continue to do so.
During the Hobart Beach meeting I inquired about the storm water outflow pipes at Valley Grove; the town is currently considering installing the FABCO filter system at the catch basin in front of Valley Grove Beach.
I have also made inquiry as to recently renewed Federal funds for the Long Island Sound. The inquiry was for funding to be allocated to divert the storm water into a drainage field/pool/cesspool particularly at Valley Grove but ideally at all the outflow locations as well, Essex, Valley Grove and Argyle and Price’s Bend too. The County’s report sited that samples collected North of the Essex storm water outflow pipe at times higher in contamination than the Valley Grove samples, therefore remediation at additional sites was requested, the tidal flow carries the contamination south to Valley Grove. As the natural flow moves further south the contamination decreases resulting in the southerly locations testing cleaner.