We'll say it again — fund the Bay Park pipe

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That wastewater has long upset the delicate ecological balance needed to sustain our South Shore bays and wetlands. The effluent causes seaweed in the bays to grow to unnatural lengths. The longer seaweed breaks apart in the tides and eventually rots, robbing marine life of dissolved oxygen as it disintegrates. There are now whole sections of the waterways that are considered “dead zones,” where little to no life exists.

Those bays and wetlands protect us during storms such as Sandy, soaking up the ocean’s tidal surge like a giant sponge. If you think about it, they are the only barriers between Long Island and the mighty Atlantic.

That’s why every level of government –– federal, state, county and local –– must do all in their power to protect the South Shore Estuary and its constituent wetlands. For the South Shore, it’s truly a matter of life and death. And perhaps the most important step in securing the long-term health of the waterways is to remove one of the greatest threats to these ecosystems –– Bay Park’s antiquated outflow pipe.

That’s why FEMA’s decision not to fund the pipe makes so little sense. We urge U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer and the state DEC to continue to push hard for the outflow pipe. If FEMA truly wants to protect the South Shore against future storms, this project must –– must –– be part of the plan.

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