The cleanup of Sheets Creek in Manorhaven, begun about three years ago, has taken major strides forward this year, according to Warren Schein, Town of North Hempstead Deputy Parks Commissioner and Harbormaster.

For a very long time, Sheets Creek had been neglected, and major debris accumulated in this corner of Manhasset Bay, creating an eyesore and possibly causing pollution as well. This fall, a new initiative began, concentrating on the property known as Lot 778. So far this year, the town pulled over 26 tons of debris from Sheets Creek. In total, hundreds of tons have been removed by the Town of North Hempstead, on occasion working with local marine operators and volunteers. Items found and disposed of so far included barges, old metal cranes, floats, marine equipment, pilings, and even a tugboat. Lauren Corcoran, spokesperson for the Town of North Hempstead, said, "We are proud to have had the support and help of the community; Port Washington always steps up to the plate." She added that the Army Corps of Engineers also helped with some of the removal, and pointed out that the cleanup of the creek and the bay is important for national defense and public safety purposes.

The cleanup has been a joint effort of a number of town departments, including the Parks Department, the Highway Department, Public Safety, the Town Attorney, and the Director of Legislative affairs. May Newburger, Town Supervisor, said, "I am proud of all the various commissioners and staff of the town who have participated in this historic waterfront cleanup process. The shoreline of the Town of North Hempstead is extremely important to both myself and the Port Washington community, and anything that we can do to make progress in the cleanup and preservation is extremely important and gratifying to all of us."

Schein gave a great deal of credit for the improvements to the hard work and expertise of the Waterfront Advisory Committee and other knowledgeable individuals who make suggestions and recommendations to the town board. The committee, chaired by Ron Fink, has been very active in assisting the town in developing the policy and plans for Manhasset Bay and Hempstead Harbor. Schein expressed his gratitude to these individuals, most of whom have spent their life in and around the water, saying, "You can't buy that kind of knowledge." He added that he, personally, is fascinated by the history of the bay, "for example, the old Pan Am clipper ships."

None of the experts with whom we spoke was willing to estimate a time period for completion of the cleanup, but all agreed that it was a priority. Joel Ziev, special advisor to the town on waterfront issues and longtime activist on behalf of the waterfront, said, "The first priority is cleaning up the creek." He added that the first step should be removing all the marine floatable debris, then the debris above the water line. He advised caution in trying to remove anything that is on the bottom, saying, "You don't mess with it until you know what you've got. It's like a game of pick-up sticks, where you pick up the top sticks without disturbing the bottom."

Over the long term, the next steps in the restoration of Sheets Creek and Manhasset Bay are more complex, time-consuming, expensive, and, in some ways, more controversial. They involve proposals for bulkheading and dredging.

Bulkheading is required to prevent further erosion of the upland; dredging is necessary because the bay has "silted up," creating problems for boaters and marinas. Both would require, at a minimum, approval from the State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Village of Manorhaven. Fink, who is also chair of the Manorhaven Waterways Committee, says that his committee has delivered a report with recommendations to the village board; this report will be public at the end of January. Schein said that he is "hopeful" that the Manorhaven Board of Trustees will approve the proposal.

Schein, Fink and Ziev all agreed that this is a long-term project. Fink estimated that, under the best scenario, dredging most likely would not begin for about two years and could take as long as 10 years to complete. In addition to the necessary approvals, a great deal of study and testing would need to be undertaken before dredging could begin. A big issue is the question of how to pay for the dredging and where to put the "spoils" (the dirt that is dredged up). One proposal being considered is that the upland owners would pay for the dredging in exchange for being able to use the spoils for backfill on their property. Some individuals with whom we spoke pointed out that under the dirt is white sand, which could be used for beaches, although this might conflict with federal statutes about mining. Fink said that the whole question of dredging is controversial, with some environmentalists claiming it is better to leave the dirt undisturbed, especially because some of the soil may be polluted.

Fink pointed out that Sheets Creek is only a small part of the problem, saying, "The entire channel needs to be dredged." Ziev agreed, saying, "There is a desperate need to dredge the bay," but reiterated the need to test the soil and to have a plan for depositing the spoils.

The Manhasset Bay Protection Committee and the Manhasset Bay Waterfront Environmental Awareness Group commissioned a study for sediment removal in Manhasset Bay by Daniel S. Natchez and Associates. This study raised issues about the condition of the soil in various areas of Manhasset Bay and making recommendations for further testing. Another group that is studying and recommending action to protect and improve the health of the Sound is the Long Island Sound Committee and its Citizens Advisory Committee. According to their web site, this bi-state (New York and Connecticut) group is a "cooperative effort involving researchers, regulators and user groups to ... implement the Sound's Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan completed in 1994."

Although Fink was unwilling to state his position until the Waterways Committee's report becomes public, he asserted, "We have to do something. If we lose the bay, we have nothing." Ziev agreed, saying, "We are all stewards of this for our grandchildren. As we used to say in the Scouts, 'leave it better than you found it.'" He added that it is important to ensure that the public have access to our waterfront.

The above are only a few issues that the harbormaster faces. With the growing boating population, patrolling the bay has become more difficult. Schein had high praise for the Bay Constable, stating that Port Washington has not had a major boating incident in many years. The biggest problems, he said, are boating while intoxicated and speeding. "We do everything possible," he said, "to ensure the integrity of the harbor and the safety and welfare of boaters."