Drowning at Wading River Creek prompts action

A recent drowning at Wading River Creek has brought to light safety concerns on both a state and local level.

Jill Lewis, deputy supervisor for the Town of Riverhead, said local fire departments have had difficulty navigating the shallow creek in emergency situations, including the drowning of a Bellport man last month.

When fire departments responded to the emergency, they were forced to use a dilapidated boat ramp at the closed Shoreham nuclear power plant rather than the ramp at Wading River Creek, and one of the boats was damaged.

The problem has moved the town and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to push for an emergency dredging permit from the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The town has a recurring permit to dredge each winter but would need special permission to dredge at any other time because of concerns for local wildlife -- particularly piping plovers, which nest in the summer, and winter flounder, which are believed to spawn in the creek in the spring.

Sid Bail, president of the Wading River Civic Organization, which supports the dredging, said the problem with dredging in the winter is that storms cause the narrow creek to shoal before summer even starts.

On June 21, Schumer sent a letter to the DEC and the Army Corps of Engineers asking to expedite the review process for the emergency dredging and to work with the town to develop a long-term maintenance plan.

“While I understand the importance of protecting critical marine habitats, it is also imperative that your agencies work together with local governments to insure that public safety on the water is not compromised,” Schumer wrote.

But Lewis said she recently heard from the DEC that the permit was not granted because of evidence that piping plovers were still nesting in the area.

Lewis said the town was in a “holding pattern” until the agency determines that the birds have left the area for the season.

She said the town is looking toward a long-term solution to ensure the creek is navigable to rescue boats. She said it is pushing for a long-term analysis of the creek to determine whether there are winter flounder spawning in the spring, but it would need to apply for federal assistance to fund the study, which would take years to complete.

In the meantime, Bail said his organization was also concerned about preventing future drownings. He said residents in the area understand the dangers of the creek and the surrounding area, where currents can gain strength suddenly, but many visitors do not.

“The Long Island Sound looks like a lake,” he said. “It is so beautiful and calm most of the time but there are currents.”

The organization has asked the town to install danger signs. Lewis said a “Swim at Your Own Risk” sign will be installed at the end of Creek Road in the coming weeks.