Politics & Government
Notebook: Israel Urges Improved Water Quality
News from around the Town of Huntington.
Israel Urges Improved Water Safeguards
U.S. Rep. Steve Israel, D-Huntington, tackled water quality issues, calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure that New Yorkers are safe when they swim at local beaches.
A recent report by the Natural Resources Defense Council noted concerns about the quality of water at beaches across the nation.
Israel said, “When families enjoy a day at the beach this summer, they shouldn’t have to worry that they’ll end up ill from pathogens in the water. Right now, 1 in 28 swimmers may become ill from waterborne pathogens if they swim in water that the EPA deems acceptable. I find this simply unacceptable. The EPA needs to review the NRDC report and find a way forward in ensuring our beaches are clean and safe.”
A number of beaches have already been closed because of high bacterial counts this year.
Just over a week ago, the NRDC released a report entitled, “Testing the Waters 2013,” which details the problems facing our beaches across the country and what can be done to mitigate these issues to ensure the safety of swimmers. Data from 361 New York beaches was used in the NRDC report, and of those, 269 are located in Nassau, Suffolk, or Queens Counties.
The report highlights that EPA criteria for ocean water allows levels of harmful pathogens that the EPA acknowledges could result in up to 36 out of 1,000 people who swim in the water getting sick.
Police Community Meeting
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Suffolk County Second Precinct representatives will meet with residents Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the South Huntington Public Library. The session, open to all, is part of a continuing series of meetings to address community concerns.
New Books for Campers
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Councilwoman Susan Berland joined members of the Melville Lions Club, Jillian Guthman-Abadom, director of Human Services; and campers at the St. John's Summer Camp program to celebrate the acquisition of new reading materials. The acquisition was funded by a donation from the Melville Lions Club and the Brandel/Murphy Foundation Lending Library.
The Project Play-St. John's Summer Camp program serves children ages 3 1/2 through 12 years old. It has been operating in the Huntington area for 40 years and is jointly funded by the Town of Huntington, the St. John's Church in Cold Spring Harbor and through sponsorships and donations by community organizations.
New Signal System Targets Larkfield Road
A new system of traffic signals designed to improve traffic flow on Larkfield Road is now operating, Huntington officials announced Monday.
The $1.8-million project involves 11 town-operated signals on the congested road and depends on detection equipment and cameras to live-alert signals to changes needed to accommodate traffic as it builds up or clears an area.
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