Local and state officials are racing to move a project to rid contaminants in a Roslyn Water District well in Roslyn Estates to nearby Christopher Morley Park as part of a land swap agreement that would require approval from Nassau County and the state Legislature.
Officials are in the process of determining the sections of the park that could be swapped with village land. A proposal would then be made to the county for approval and then sent to the state Legislature.
Approval of the land swap could take as many as two Legislative sessions if a proposal is not submitted before the Legislature adjourns in mid June, officials said.
Water district officials are looking to build the stripper within the next four weeks to prevent a water shortage in the water district, which includes the villages of Roslyn, Roslyn Estates, Roslyn Harbor, East Hills, Flower Hill, North Hills and the unincorporated areas of Greenvale, Albertson and Glenwood Landing as well as parts of Port Washington.
“We’re running with it. We’re going with it and we’ll see where it takes us,” said water district chairman Michael Kosinski.
Funding for the project, which was planned for Diana’s Trail in Roslyn Estates, was approved as part of a $20.9 million bond passed by the North Hempstead Town Council on Feb. 25 on the condition that officials would try to move the project to Christopher Morley Park through the county and state Legislature.
North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth said at the time the bond was approved that getting state Legislature approval by the water district’s deadline would be a “miracle” scenario.
“You have to try,” Bosworth said in an interview Thursday. “It’s easy to say you can’t do it, but maybe you can, and at least we’ll know we did everything we could.”
Roslyn Estates Mayor Jeff Schwartzberg said he has been in contact with officials about the move on an almost daily basis.
“It’s all progressing,” Schwartzberg said. “Whether it happens in the next four weeks, I don’t know.”
Peter Fishbein, counsel to the water district, said the county could issue a permit that would allow the water district to relocate the air stripper while awaiting the state Legislature’s approval.
But, he said, he does not know what the ramifications would be if the air stripper is built in the park and the Legislature were to strike down the deal.
“There’s always that danger,” he said. “We’d have to see what happens then.”
Nassau County spokesman Brian Nevin said an internal review of the project is ongoing.
Roslyn Estates residents have opposed the air stripper because even though it would rid the water there of Freon-22, a harmful chlorofluorocarbon that was discovered in the water in August, traces of the contaminant would be emitted into the air.
The relocation plan would move the proposed air stripper 200 feet into the park and could cost up to $400 per square foot to move.
Freon-22 can cause dizziness, loss of concentration, central nervous system depression and/or cardiac arrhythmia if inhaled in high concentrations, and can also cause asphyxiation if inhaled in confined spaces.
“My feeling was, I can understand why someone who lives 30 feet from where the air stripper would be put in has concerns about the contaminants coming into the air with his four-month-old there, it’s very understandable,” Bosworth said.
State Department of Environmental Conservation officials have said the air stripper would be able to withstand contamination of up to 43 parts per billion, a small percentage compared to the 55,000 parts per billion maximum set by the state and federal government.
State Sen. Jack Martins said in a statement that he is continuing to work with the different government entities to resolve the issue and has urged the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation and the Nassau County Department of Health to locate the source of the Freon-22 contamination.
In a statement, Emily Frankel, state Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel’s chief of staff, said the assemblywoman is willing to work with all parties involved in the project to find an appropriate solution but is still awaiting the submission of the water district’s metes and bounds.
“As soon as these issues are resolved, I am hopeful that we can start drafting the legislation that is needed in order for the district to place the air stripper at Christopher Morley Park,” Frankel said.
Since only 4.3 parts per billion of Freon-22 were found in the water, officials did not think concentration levels were approaching those that could be considered long-term health risks.
Freon-22 concentration was first detected at Diana’s Trail in August. By November, concentration levels had spiked so much that officials shut down the well and declared a state of emergency.
Since the town’s initial bond hearing on Jan. 28, the water district hosted a public information session about the bond on Feb. 11 at the East Hills Village Park as well as a private meeting for Roslyn village mayors to address their concerns with commissioners. A separate public meeting with county and state environmental officials was also held at Roslyn Estates Village Hall on Feb. 5.
The air stripper project at Diana’s Trail was initially budgeted at close to $4 million, but officials said they would not know the actual cost of the project until work begins.
If the bond had been approved by the council on Jan. 28, water district officials said work on the air stripper would have begun as early as mid February to be ready for use in July, when the demand for water is typically at its highest.
Water district officials have said that since water pressure during peak hours has decreased in the last year, the district could face a water shortage if offline wells are not put back in use quickly. Weaker pressure also makes water more susceptible to further contamination.
But residents said they would be willing to forgo watering their lawns this summer to conserve water while the cause of the Freon-22 contamination is sought.
