Mangano: South Shore Waterway Cleanup Efforts are Working

Efforts to clean up the effects of Superstorm Sandy on the south shore waterway and marsh bank over the last four months are working, authorities said earlier this week.

Officials from Nassau County and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation at a press conference Tuesday spoke about the cleanup. They say Island Park-based VIP Splash Waterways Recovery Group worked with side scan sonar technology and dive teams. The company identified and removed 1,624 tons of debris, including more than 75 boats along with household and commercial debris left behind by the storm.

“Winds and tidal surges from Superstorm Sandy destroyed hundreds of docks and bulkhead, obliterated historic bay houses and sank hundreds of boats,” County Executive Ed Mangano said at a press conference Tuesday at Cow Meadow Park in Freeport.

The cleanup comes at a price tag of $12.1 million, previously approved by the county legislature, a county spokeswoman said.

“This devastation left debris sunken in shallow waters and along marsh banks,” Mangano added. ”Local cleanup efforts are proving successful as we are removing navigational threats and making waterways cleaner and safer.”

Officials said the debris is handpicked from salt marshes and shoreline areas from the Atlantic Beach Bridge to Massapequa Shores and then loaded onto barges. Debris then arrives at one of three offloading sites throughout Nassau County. That debris is then disposed of at transfer stations approved by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

“We have been shocked at the types of debris we have found in these local waters,” said VIP Splash Waterways Recovery Group’s On Site Manager Michael McLean, Sr. “This operation continues to prove Sandy’s devastation still remains.”

If the debris is not removed, it can get carried by high tides, and ultimately caught on the marsh banks into local channels, according to the county. Much of that wreckage will remain floating near the surface, almost invisible to a boater until it is too late.

“This is a critical operation and we intend to continue these efforts until we are confident these waters are returned to pre-Sandy safety,” Mangano said. “I urge all boaters to be aware of possible debris in the waters when boating near marshes and in the channels of the south shore.”