“The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.” - Vince Lombardi

For over 60 years, many wonderful hard-working people have helped the NCC become the vibrant organization it is today. Today, we need more help. Our President is facing a health issue and cannot work in full capacity at this time. Click button below to get an idea of where your abilities may best be suited and contact us to lend a hand, or two!

• Click the link to read the SCDHS report.

• See Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming’s statement below.

• Call Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman (631-283-6055) to ask:

What is the Town doing about the reported groundwater contamination?

Statement from Legislator Bridget Fleming:

“This thorough report describes a groundwater investigation that is the culmination of years of effort by advocates and officials who have tenaciously fought for the protection of our invaluable aquifer, the sole source of drinking water on Long Island, and a critical resource for current and future residents. The report demonstrates definitively that the ongoing activities at this site are polluting our drinking water now and for future generations. The conclusions of the report must be met with swift action. The evidence shows significant negative groundwater impacts from the waste management activities occurring at the site, including manganese exceeding drinking water standards by almost 100 times and iron by over 200 times, as well as elevated levels of contaminants such as thallium, sodium, nitrate, ammonia and gross alpha, despite the significant depth to groundwater at the site. It is therefor imperative that the activity cease unless mitigation measures to effectively prevent groundwater impacts are identified and implemented.

I am grateful to County Executive Steve Bellone, Commissioner Tomarken, and the entire SCDHS staff for their tenacious and highly professional pursuit of an accurate assessment of the groundwater impacts of the activities at the Sandland site. I look forward to continuing to work with officials at all levels of government to ensure that this unacceptable pollution of our drinking water source comes to an end.”

Bridget Fleming
County Legislator, 2nd District
75 Washington Street, P.O. Box 1827
Sag Harbor, New York 11963
(631) 852-8400
bridget.fleming@suffolkcountyny.gov

All levels of government must act and must act now, the assemblyman demanded. He compiled a list of actions that must be taken immediately:

1. We cannot wait until April for the Suffolk County Department of Health Services to release its report on the contamination. The testing was done months ago and the SCDHS has had the raw data for weeks. Their report must be made public in the next two weeks.

2. The SCDHS must also begin to survey for contamination by testing all drinking wells that are down gradient of the contamination.

3. The State DEC must launch a full environmental investigation to determine the full extent of contamination at this location.

4. The State DEC must take action to stop the processing of vegetative waste and other industrial activities until the extent of the contamination is known.

5. The State DEC must reject any expansion of the sand mine at this location.

6. The Southampton Town Supervisor must exercise his authority under State Law and inform the State DEC that mining is a prohibited activity under the Southampton Zoning Code.

The NY Supreme Court ruled that Sand Land had to give full access to the SCHS department. Sand Land had refused access to the site following surface water tests done in May 2015 on the property which found alarming levels of contaminants and carcinogens, including chlordane, pesticides, carcinogens, radio nuclei and other pollutants. The SCHS decision follows over two years of obstruction by the owners of Sand Land to prevent water testing and allow access by health officials.

Note: Sand Land began grinding, manufacturing, storing and selling mulch again starting Sept. 11, 2017. They have been going full bore for two days. We have repeatedly called the Town to get code enforcement out there as these are clear violations of court rulings and affidavits filed by Sand Land saying they no longer manufacture mulch nor have the machinery on site to do so.

NCC members are asked to call and question Supervisor Jay Schneiderman and code enforcement about this issue.