'Nothing Is Improving': Babylon Residents Plea For Canal To Be Drained

BABYLON VILLAGE, NY — Residents who live on a Babylon Village canal are urging elected officials to take as much action as possible after dark residue in the water has "drastically" changed their lives "for the worse."

Lorraine Knoblauch, a resident and representative for the community that lives on the canal between South Bay Drive and Little East Neck Road, spoke at the Town of Babylon board meeting on Wednesday morning, asking for help.

"We are struggling with a severe quality of life issue at this time, the water in the canal has turned totally black," she said.

Town of Babylon officials, the Department of Environmental Conservation, and Suffolk County Department of Health were made aware of the residue by residents on July 2. The departments took samples of the residue and confirmed with Patch that the matter is not of sewage or oil.

Richard Groh, Town of Babylon chief environmental analyst, recently told Patch the matter is most likely a result of decomposed eel grass caught in the canal over time.

Official lab results are yet to be confirmed, the Suffolk County Department of Health told Patch as of Wednesday.

But ten days later, residents remain in limbo, with their livelihoods affected.

Knoblauch told the town that the dark residue has all marine life in the canal dying. Each day, neighbors have taken to scooping out dead fish, crabs, and eels.

The dead wildlife has also brought unwanted bugs.

"We can't really sit outside anymore," said Knoblauch.

The residue also has a fog and has turned murky.

"We have a terrible smell in the canal," she said. "Nobody can access their yards or do any of the things that we used to do, living on that canal so freely, since I've lived here for nine years."

The departments have communicated with residents, saying it is "decaying organic matter that has nowhere to flush because our canal has been so severely neglected for so long."

For ten days, officials have tested the water for oxygen levels. And for ten days, they've had zero oxygen reported in the water.

"Nothing is improving," she said. "We have something wrong with the head of the canal."

When residents paddle kayaks toward the end of the canal, the "kayak itself" runs aground.

The canal needs to be drained as soon as possible, she said.

"Our neighbors have had to cancel parties, social events, their own activities," she said. "I'm here as a representative from the community and hoping and willing to help in any way possible to get anything done, that we can to have this canal cleaned out as soon as possible."

Town of Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaffer told Knoblauch that he was made aware of the dark residue on July 2. To drain the canal, the town needs the approval from the Department of Public Works.

Schaffer explained that Suffolk County requires each town to submit a list of canals that they believe need to be dredged. For years, the town has submitted the canal located between South Bay Drive and Little East Neck Road, he said.

He also suggested that Legislator Kevin McCaffrey provide some sort of emergency assistance for the residents.

The resident said she had not yet reached out to McCaffrey's office, but intends to take Schaffer's direction.

Brian Zitani, waterways management supervisor, said that the Town of Babylon, told Patch that the draining of the canal will be a "much larger project" than officials originally envisioned.

"The whole length of the canal would need to be dredged," Zitani said.

The canal borders on both the Town and Village of Babylon. Both Supervisor Schaffer and Mayor Mary Adams have filed formal requests to Suffolk County to make the canal a priority, he said.

In order to dredge the canal,

Dredging the canal will be a process, Zitani said. The county must receive both state and federal permits, and determine where to pump the water, the best time to dredge for the environment, and its cost.

"It takes a very long time to do a dredging permit," said Zitani. "It doesn't happen overnight, unfortunately."

Canals such as the one between South Bay Drive and Little East Neck Road often face this issue. But for this particular instance, the "right conditions" occurred.

"This canal has been getting shallower, the water was really warm, there has been no significant rain in the last couple of weeks," Zitani said.

Groh also said that since the canal faces the south, it's "perfectly oriented" to catch eel grass and other sea grasses in the summer months.

"You have an unnatural situation where this organic material is getting pushed into these canals," said Groh.

The resident said that she'll do whatever it takes to make her community a liveable place again.

"We all love Babylon, and we want to work together," Knoblauch said.

Patch has reached out to the office of Legislator Kevin McCaffrey for more information.