3 Long Island Municipalities Clean Up Shared Waterway

The Towns of North Hempstead and Oyster Bay and the City of Glen Cove recently joined together to clean up Hempstead Harbor—waterway shared by all three municipalities.

According to North Hempstead town officials, the three pooled together their resources to conduct a major cleaning of the harbor, working with The Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee (HHPC) and the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor (CSHH).

Hempstead Harbor, located between Manhasset and Oyster Bays is unique in that it is shared by nine municipalities: North Hempstead, Oyster Bay, Nassau County, Glen Cove, Sands Point, Flower Hill, Roslyn, Roslyn Harbor, and Sea Cliff.

“We are all neighbors who share the same waterfront and we need to work together on any initiative that can make Hempstead Harbor cleaner and more beautiful,” North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth said. “We have great partners in the Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee, the Town of Oyster Bay and the City of Glen Cove.”

“The Town of Oyster Bay is proud to take part in this important inter-municipal environmental initiative along with the City of Glen Cove and the Town of North Hempstead,” Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said. “Working to improve the state of our waterways has been a priority for my administration, and together through cleanups such as this, we will improve the overall health of Hempstead Harbor and expand the recreational use and access for our North Shore residents.”

“As Mayor of Glen Cove I work hard each and every day to make the city the best it can be,” Glen Cove Mayor Tenke. “The waterfront is a staple of our community and we need to do everything we can to protect it. Glen Cove is lucky to have the support of the Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee, the Town of Oyster Bay, and the Town of North Hempstead to do so.”

The cleanup crews removed marine debris, including old docks, tires, broken moorings and pieces of Styrofoam and other debris. Most of the debris had been marked in advance by the Town’s Bay Constable to make it easier to locate at high tide when the cleanup begins. Kevin Braun, the Town’s Environmental Specialist under the Planning Department assisted coordinating the cleanup.

The City of Glen Cove’s Harbor Patrol assisted with the cleanup; the Town of Oyster Bay provided a boat equipped with apparatus to haul debris aboard and staff; and North Hempstead tapped into several departments, including Planning, Highway, Parks, Solid waste Management Authority and Bay Constable, to staff the day-long cleanup from the water and land.