(GLEN COVE, N.Y.) - Nassau County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D - Glen Cove) is pleased to announce the successful installation of two Helix water filtration systems on private properties adjoining Hempstead Harbor on Monday, Jan. 17 and Tuesday, Jan. 18.
City of Glen Cove Department of Public Works (DPW) officials have confirmed the completion of this crucial component of a comprehensive plan for reopening Crescent Beach, which has been closed for more than a decade due to bacteria contamination from a nearby estuary.
“It has been my goal since I was first elected to re-open Crescent Beach. This beach has always been a favorite of mine and a great asset to our entire community,” Legislator DeRiggi-Whitton said. “Achieving this goal has turned out to be quite an arduous task, and we have faced many twists and turns along the way. Now, we are taking one step of a few that needs to be taken, and I am deeply appreciative for everyone’s cooperation and patience throughout this process.”
Since becoming a Nassau County Legislator in 2012, Legislator DeRiggi-Whitton has secured essential County funding for studies and worked closely with the DEC, NYIT Associate Professor and overseer of the school’s Center for Water Resources Management, Sarah Meyland, H2M architects + Engineers and former Glen Cove Mayor Tim Tenke to determine the cause of the contamination and devise a strategy for ameliorating the pollution so the beach can reopen.
Last fall, the New York State Department of Conservation (DEC) has approved a remediation plan for Crescent Beach. In addition to installing the Helix systems, plans call for the clearing of pipes and the planting of sea grass and other wetland plants - the roots of which effectively absorb harmful bacteria without harming the plants themselves.
In addition, a basin slope will be created, and pipes will be installed to channel the estuary water into a bioswale (sloped retention area) where hundreds of plantings will provide natural filtration to purify the water before it flows to Crescent Beach and Hempstead Harbor.