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Cedar Creek Problems Addressed
Originally published in the 2005 October 20 edition of The
Wantagh-Seaford Citizen.
Jerry Laricchiuta, President of the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Local 830, told members of the Nassau County Legislature that "we are finally moving in the right direction", to resolve health and safety issues for the workers at the Cedar Creek Sewage Treatment Plant. Mr. Laricchiuta testified before the Environmental Committee, chaired by Legislator David Denenberg on Monday, October 17. The hearing was scheduled after alleged complaints about working conditions at the sewage treatment plant were first reported in the Long Island Press. The October 17th hearing lasted one and a half hours, and also included testimony from Joseph Davenport, Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Public Works. Christine Marzigliano, Chairwoman of the Cedar Creek Health Risk Assessment Committee (CCHRAC) spoke as well. While Mr. Davenport called the problems at Cedar Creek "housekeeping issues", Mr. Laricchiuta said the problems for the workers were more serious. "When there was tough fiscal times the number of employees [at the plant] went from 144 to about 88 and as a result preventive maintenance has gone down. If it's not broken, it's left alone. There has been no overtime over weekends which means if something breaks over a weekend, it has to wait until Monday. Staffing is a key issue," said Mr. Laricchiuta.
Mrs. Marzigliano added that the tour given last Monday, October 10, indicated that the sump pumps were in need of repair and there was a shortage of parts. "I saw high voltage conduits severely corroded, leaking roofs and repairs needed to the de-watering room." Mrs. Marzigliano urged the legislative committee to "make the necessary improvements and hire maintenance people." She said that any money in the budget this year for hirees "be rolled over into the next fiscal year. We must run this utility as efficiently as possible." Dave Denenberg agreed. He pointed to the $40 million in capital improvements made at Cedar Creek since 2000 including new aeration tank covers, new scrubbers, upgrades of berming for secondary containment and upgrades to the water treatment process. "There is money allocated for the roofs as well, and we have money [in the budget] for more people" he said. But Mr. Denenberg and the other legislators questioned why only three people had been hired this year, when the budget called for 10 new employees. Mr. Davenport explained that this "is a cumbersome governmental process. It takes time to find people." Mr. Denenberg replied "We will help with this process." In his testimony Mr. Davenport said that the plant supervisor has put together a hiring chart. "Hiring those additional personnel will help keep up with housekeeping. Of those 23 positions, 13 are dedicated to the maintenance unit of the plant. There are [presently] 65 people assigned to maintenance staff and there are 10 in operations," he said. Remaining positions are administrative.
"When issues were raised about health and safety concerns, we met with the CSEA and the industrial hygienist from PESH" said Mr. Davenport. Mr. Laricchiuta added that CSEA officials met with management at the plant to resolve issues. Despite the controversy over the maintenance issues at Cedar Creek Plant, no one is claiming there are health and safety issues to the public. "This is an impressive operation," said Mr. Laricchiuta. "I don't believe there are any problems with the environment. This is strictly a health and safety issue for workers, not outside the plant." The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has repeatedly stated that Cedar Creek is in compliance with its SPIDES permit. The DEC has not found any evidence of spills. Mr. Davenport pointed to stricter requirements under the Clean Water Act. Effluent, which is cleaned and treated water, is discharged through an outflow pipe into the Atlantic Ocean, two miles offshore. The plant is limited to an emission of between 0.5 and 3.0 milligrams per liter for chlorine. There are no nitrogen limits for the Atlantic Ocean. "I'm interested in what caused the spill of effluent [inside the plant]. How old is the pump? How often is it repaired and do they have the parts to repair it," said Mrs. Marzigliano. "Parts for the de-watering presses are unique but not for sump pumps." "I'm pleased with the progress and I think many of the maintenance and personnel issues have been identified," said Mrs. Marzigliano. "In my opinion there are no health and safety issues to the public. I didn't see any plant process not working." Even during the torrential downpour this past weekend, Cedar Creek, which was designed to handle 70 million gallons of effluent per day, had a flow of 163 million gallons per day according to the Nassau County Department of Public Works, without any problems. |
