WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. By John F. Bailey. August 27, 2005, UPDATED 2:30 A.M. E.D.T.:  WPCNR has learned Liberty Park, the city's waterfront park on Silver Lake, filled with trails, picnic grounds and scene of cooling water sports activities, created by the city  to clean up Silver Lake and its environs three years ago, has been quietly closed for approximately four weeks due to pollution of the lake, that reportedly has not received any remidiation.

 Commissioner of Public Works Joseph “Bud” Nicoletti on direction of the Mayor’s Office,  told WPCNR this evening that Liberty Park on Silver Lake has been closed for approximately a month due to a high level of bacteria content in the water. The cause of the pollution dating back to the last two weeks in July,  that prompted the here-to-fore unannounced closing, has not been discovered by the County, or the Departments of Public Works of Harrison, or the City of White Plains, according to County Legislator Bill Ryan. 

SILVER LAKE, 2002: When the County leased the Lake to White Plains for Liberty Park. The White Plains Liberty Park side is closed for boating and use of the trails and picnicing, pending County Department of Health analysis of recent water samples taken by Mr. Nicoletti.  However the Harrison park on the east side of the lake remains open.  Photo, WPCNR News Archive.

.A “stench” has been smelled coming from the lake for at least two months according to a restaurenteur, Chef Andrea. The business owner, who owns Chef Andrea's on Lake Street said that the Lake “has smelled for two months,” and that it is very noticeable. Another passerby driving by Silver Lake at the entrance to Liberty Park also said he definitely noticed a strong organic-smelling stench several weeks ago.

At no time has there been a public notice from the City of White Plains released to the media announcing the park was closed and or if there was a health hazard to the residents living above the lake.

A WPCNR reader informed WPCNR of the closing of the park this afternoon, which was never officially announced or confirmed by the city or the county until today when WPCNR contacted the Department of Recreation and Parks. Apparently the only notice is a closed sign at the park.

Debra Clay the Deputy Commissioner of Recreation and Parks for the City of White Plains confirmed that Liberty Park was closed but told WPCNR to contact the Mayor’s office for further information. She had no comment on why the park was closed.

Answering Machine Answers at the Mayor's Office.

WPCNR contacted the Mayor’s Office at 4:45 P.M.Friday   and received an answering machine message. WPCNR left a message asking for an explanation of why the park was closed on the White Plains side, but open on the Harrison side, and the reason for the closing.

WPCNR contacted the Department of Public Works of White Plains, and the DPW employee picking up the telephone said he did not know why the park was closed.

WPCNR contacted the Department of Communications of Westchester County where a spokesperson said they would get back to us, but they did not. There was no knowledge of a closing of Liberty Park the spokesperson said.

A White Plains Department of Public Safety source, speaking on condition of anonymity  told WPCNR Liberty Park was closed due to “a stench in the water,”  that was rumored to be the result of a sewage leak from the Harrison side of Silver Lake.

Harrison Directs us to the County. 

Contacting the Harrison Department of Public Works, WPCNR was told I was to contact the Westchester County Executive’s Office who could inform me, so I called the County Executive’s Office, and Larry Schwartz, Deputy County Executive office and was transferred to an answering machine, then I was transferred  back to the Department of Communications, which again they said they would have someone get back to me on the park closing and alleged pollution.

Bill Ryan Fills Us In.

In conversation with County Legislator Bill Ryan Friday evening, Ryan told WPCNR that he first heard about the closing problem the beginning of August, when he received calls from residents about it.

County Legislator Bill Ryan. May, 2005. Photo, WPCNR News Archive.

Ryan told WPCNR “dye tests” were done on the White Plains sewer lines, the Town of Harrison sewer lines, and the county sewer lines, and no leaks were discovered. However, Ryan said, the problem of the stench first became noticeable after the July 18 thunderstorm that flooded downtown White Plains and the Harrison area with 6 inches of rain.

Mystery Stench.

Ryan was asked had the cause of the pollution in the lake been pinpointed. He said “No one knows.”

 Ryan said there was some speculation by officials that the heavy rain of July 18th might have overflowed the sewers or storm drains and caused a back up of polluting waters into the lake.

 It could not be determined by WPCNR  Friday evening, whether it was technically possible for the sewer lines to back up raw sewage into the lake, or whether the storm water drains could cause such pollution that would cause the sewage-like stench that has plagued the lake for approximately a month.

Ryan Dissappointed White Plains Did Not Act.

Ryan said that under the terms of the City of White Plains lease with Westchester County, for Liberty Park,  the city has the sole responsibility for maintaining the lake and the lake’s waters.  Ryan charged the city of White Plains has done nothing to remediate whatever is causing the pollution.

Ryan said that the City of White Plains should have been taken the lead a month ago in attempting to locate the polluting agents and removing them from the lake. Ryan expressed dissapointment that  White Plains  should have taken the responsibility of working with Harrison and the County to see what clean up remedial procedures could have been applied jointly with all working together sooner.

No Announcements?

That Legislator Ryan is familiar with the problem raises the question of why the City of White Plains and the County Department of Health did not alert the residents of the condition of the lake, as the Town of Mamaroneck routinely does when its beaches are closed due to storm water runoff.

Commissioner Nicoletti Confirms Lingering Pollution. Commissioner of Public Works, Joseph "Bud" Nicoletti. October, 2004. Photo, WPCNR News Archive.

In the latest development of this unfolding story,  a statement from Commissioner Joseph “Bud” Nicoletti of the White Plains Department of Public Works,  confirms the lake’s water has a “fairly high levels of bacteria:”

He stated exclusively to WPCNR Friday night,

“We did some bacteria tests as late as last week, and the results came back with fairly high levels of bacteria in the water. I had forwarded those on to the County Health Department, and I am waiting for their opinions, as to what to do for the water, whether to open the park for water sports and so forth.

       But, not hearing back from them yet. I’m just playing it conservative, and it’s my recommendation the park be closed on the White Plains side, which is the side we control. So that’s really where we’re at.

       I have been in close contact with the County Health Department, and this is going back the last month or so. I did a second round of bacteria tests just last week, and high counts of bacteria were indicated, and these were done by the county lab. I still haven’t gotten the actual written reports yet, but I have got a verbal. I forwarded that on to the County Health Department.

       I’m waiting for them to make a judgment or to give me their take on it.”

HAPPIER DAYS: October 29, 2002,  County Executive Andy Spano, left, and Mayor Joseph Delfino of White Plains sign the agreement where the County leased 23 acres of Liberty Park land on the West Side of Silver Lake with the stipulation that White Plains was responsible for maintenance and condition of both the parkland and Silver Lake. Bill Ryan in "Westchester" jacket looks on.  Photo, WPCNR News Archive

       Liberty Park was created by The Delfino Administration under a $1 a year lease from the County of Westchester, in exchange for authorizing the county to build 17 townhouses of affordable housing on the Pettinichi property at the tip of Silver Lake. Construction of those seventeen houses has not been started because the county has been unable to find a contractor. They were supposed to have begun construction this past Spring.

      The City of White Plains spent approximately $600,000 to open the park its first year in 2003 and was scheduled to spend an additional $300,000 to complete the park. It is open in the spring and summer months for boating and kayaking, and fishing.

       According to Legislator Ryan the park has been closed for the last month due to the unrelenting stench, unreported until this time.