This was published in the Journal News Letters to the Editor as a response
to the article in the Journal News
Baseless lawsuit against Hen Island
I have lived on Hen Island for 60 years, and your Sept. 4 article, “Lawsuit: Sewage entering the Sound,” has slanted the facts to such an extent that the location described is unrecognizable.
I have never seen raw sewage or gray water discharged into the Long Island Sound. Some cottages have Enviro self-contained systems, and all other systems are enclosed. To my knowledge, none of the cottages or sanitary systems is located “less than 10 feet from the shoreline,” as claimed in your article by the plaintiff’s attorney. The Rye Building Department has visited the island many times, especially in the past five years after rebuilding required by the 1992 storm, and has enforced the applicable building codes.
Hen Island residents were environmentally sensitive years before “green” became a cause celebre. We treasure Mother Nature and live closely with her, having experienced the fragility of the land and the Sound. Islanders have participated in the Wetlands Citizens Campaign to raise public awareness to save wetlands. Preservation of trees, native plants, and wildlife is a serious obligation for all Hen Islanders as defined in the corporation’s rules and regulations whose by-laws mandate compliance with all government regulations.
The headline is particularly inflammatory and misleading, as plaintiff Raymond Tartaglione has not proven a single instance of raw sewage being released into the Sound. His lawsuit is based on unsubstantiated allegations.
In the interest of accuracy and objectivity, your reporting should be corrected.
June Ederer
Yonkers
