THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR | 2,905,611 VISITORS VISIT 8,324,077 TIMES 3 TIMES EVERY DAY IN ONE YEAR. HIGHEST ACTIVITY IN WPCNR HISTORY.White PlainsCitizeNetReporter lifted its worldwide visits from unique visitors to wpcnr.com to 8,324,077,a 1,306,419 increase in visits in one year from 7,017,658 visits to the site last year which covers White Plains and Westchester County. The 8,324,077 visits were made by 2,005,611 unique visitors who visited wpcnr an average of 3 visits a day. ON JULY 20- -2026 visitors have accessed wpcnr and made 3,072 visits an average of 1.6 visits. In the last week 33,495 individual vistors made 54,458 visits, averaging 1.6 visits. In the last month, 152,940 visitors recorded 229,338 visits (1.5 visits)

WHITE PLAINS, SCARSDALE WATER SAFE TO DRINK, COUNTY SAYS. AND EPA AGREES.

Posted on August 7, 2013 by John Bailey

WPCNR WATER NEWS. By John F. Bailey. August 7, 2013:

White Plains and Scarsdale tap water is safe to drink.

Westchester County was notifying doctors and interested parties today who called the county asking whether White Plains and Scarsdale drinking water was safe to consume after it was reported the county was sued in federal court over a delay in implementing an EPA regulation.

David Simpson, a spokesman for the Department of Communications told WPCNR Thursday “Yes, the water is safe for drinking and any other use and the EPA agrees. No agency has disputed that. “

Simpson also said the County Health Department said there has never been a case of gastrointestinal disease caused by the parasite the EPA wants the county to install advanced treatment procedures to eliminate in supplying White Plains and Scarsdale.

Concerns had been raised by the filing of a lawsuit yesterday in Southern District Court by the Environmental Protection Agency in federal court for the county failure to install ultraviolet water treatment equipment to kill the parasite, Cryptosporidium found in the drinking supply for White Plains (according to the White Plains city water report of 2012).

Not One Case.

Simpson said the gastrointestinal disease caused by Cryptospridium is a reportable disease which hospitals and doctors must report.

Simpson said the Westchester County Health Department has never had one case diagnosed caused by this parasite ever reported. Nationally in 2010, only 8,000 cases were reported nationwide, he said

Health Department confirms:

Caren Halbfinger, spokesperson for the Westchester County Department of Health issued this statement:

About two thirds of the 300,000 customers who live in District 1 already receive water that is in compliance with this regulation, and the county is working on a solution to bring the water that goes to the northern part of the district into compliance for the remaining one-third of the district.

The water in District One is safe to drink.

The same water that District One draws from, in the Kensico Reservoir, is sampled weekly by the NYC Department of Environmental Protection and no elevated levels of cryptosporidium have ever been found that would trigger a public health advisory.

Further, the health department would know if water was causing any illnesses in Westchester, and it has not. Cases of cryptosporidiosis, the illness this bacteria can cause, are reportable to the county health department and there have been no cases attributed to the water supply.

Not a word from EPA on the County “Delay” Until Yesterday.

Simpson added that in 2006, a law was passed by congress requiring water to be treated for this parasite. The county had, he said until April 2012 to install the ultraviolet treatment in the District 1 towns (Mount Vernon, Scarsdale, White Plains, Yonkers.

The county piped water from the Kensico reservoir to Mount Vernon and Yonkers, but decided that it would cost $100 Million to run a pipe up to the Mount Pleasant reservoir to make the fix for White Plains and Scarsdale.

Simpson said the county informed the EPA in 2011 they could not meet the April 2012 deadline, and had not heard from the EPA since, while they explored a less expensive solution.

No Warning.

Simpson said the EPA had not given any indication before the suit was filed in Southern District Court yesterday that they were in any disagreement with the delay and the county search for a less expensive solution. “It (the suit) came as a complete surprise to us.” Simpson said.

Asked if this was a systemic communication proplem between the EPA and the Justice Department, Simpson said WPCNR should speak to the EPA about that.

The county, Simpson said, was not pausing in their attempt to fix the problem with the $5 Million fix running a pipe up from the Kensico reservoir.

Simpson said design work had been done to run a spur of pipe off the Delaware acqueduct from the Kensico reservoir and the request for the $5 Million bond issue has been with the Board of Legislators for their approval since April.

The Mayor’s Office and the Commissioner of Public Works was contacted by WPCNR as to the issue of whether White Plains water was safe to drink, but neither has returned WP

The Bombing of Hiroshima Took Place Today, 68 Years ago. Prelude to the end of World War II

Posted on August 6, 2013 by John Bailey

WPCNR MILESTONES. August 6, 2013:

Sixty-seven years ago, the Enola Gay, a single American bomber dropped an Atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. The terrible effects of that single bomb are a horror that has never been repeated

A second bomber, Bock’s Car on August 9, dropped a similar bomb on Nagasaki. Unknown thousands of Japanese citizens’ lives were vaporized, burned, and maimed and two cities leveled to the ground in an instant in both bombings.

To grasp what one atomic bomb did to Nagasaki. Readers may see the photographs Japanese photographer Yosuki Yamato took of the aftermath of Nagasaki the day it happened at http://www.exploratorium.edu/nagasaki/photos.html#journey/63.jpg

The decision to drop the bombs was made after the United States, Great Britain and the Republic of China demanded Japan surrender in the Potsdam Declaration on July 26 or face “prompt and utter destruction”. The Japanese government did not.

The United States deployed two nuclear weapons dropping one on Hiroshimi today, 68 years ago and one on Nagasaki on August 9.

Over four months the bombs resulted in the deaths of 90,000–166,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,000–80,000 in Nagasaki, half dying the day the bombs fell.

The Hiroshima prefecture health department estimated that, of the people who died on the day of the explosion, 60% died from flash or flame burns, 30% from falling debris and 10% from other causes. During the following months, large numbers died from the effect of burns, radiation sickness, and other injuries, compounded by illness. In a US estimate of the total immediate and short term cause of death, 15–20% died from radiation sickness, 20–30% from burns, and 50–60% from other injuries, compounded by illness. In both cities, most of the dead were civilians, although Hiroshima had a sizeable garrison.

The horror of those two bombings and the aftermath, the injuries have created an effort and reluctance on the part of nuclear-armed powers to avoid any nuclear attacks since that date.

Within a few days of those bombings, Japan surrendered unconditionally, officially ending World War II.

The decision to use the bombs by the United States has long been debated. A dialogue on what the bombs did, why the decision was made was collected in 1995, the fiftieth year since the bombings. It is available at http://www.exploratorium.edu/nagasaki/commentary/decision.html

ROUTE 1 CLOSING ALL WEEK NORTH/ SOUTHBOUND AT PELHAM. MOTORISTS TO DIVERT TO NEW ENGLAND THRUWAY. MASSIVE DELAYS EXPECTED

Posted on August 5, 2013 by John Bailey

WPCNR BUMPER TO BUMPER. From the New York State Thruway Authority. August 5, 2013:

Local and commuting Motorists who regularly use the Boston Post Road, (Route 1) north and south will be diverted to the New England Thruway beginning Tuesday morning at 5 A.M. Major backups are expected on Route 1 with residual delays expected both north and southbound on the New England Thruway due to the increased merging traffic activity.

UPDATE NEW ENGLAND THRUWAY (I-95) SIGNIFICANT TRAFFIC DELAYS EXPECTED TUES AUG 6 THROUGH SAT AUG 10

Due to reconstruction of the Hutchinson River Parkway Bridge over U.S. Route 1 in the Village of Pelham Manor in Westchester County, Route 1 will be closed in the area and traffic will be diverted onto I-95 New England Thruway. Significant traffic delays are expected on area roadways, including I-95 New England Thruway from exits 9 though 14. Motorists are advised to avoid the area if possible.

Motorists can get updates on the construction project by calling 511 or visiting www.511NY.org.
03:38:26PM
8/5/13

Council Renews Consultants’ Contracts to Continue Review of FASNY Ridgeway School Campus. When Review Will Be Complete Uncertain.

Posted on August 5, 2013 by John Bailey

WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL-CHRONICLE EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey August 5, 2013 UPDATED AUGUST 6, 2013:

Unless a law firm and traffic engineering firm can complete their analysis of the French American School of New York consolidated campus plan for the defunct Ridgeway Country Club property with weeks, it appears the Common Council will not make a decision on the FASNY project, or even take up the FASNY proposal for the Gedney Farms neightbor property until after the November city elections.

At the Common Council monthly meeting Monday evening, the council voted to extend the contracts the city has with Silverberg Zalantis and TRC Engineering to continue to review the project this fiscal year.

The contract with Silverberg Zalantis is being being extended to a maximum cost of $85,000 for the purpose of reviewing the FASNY Draft and Final Environmental Impact statements.

The Council will also extended the contract of TRC Engineers, Inc., to continue to review traffic and transportation, noise and air quality issues that may be raised by the Final Environmental Impact Statement the school presented last April. TRC Engineer extended contract will be to a maximum of $90,000.

The French American School will pay the cost of both contracts.

Silverberg and Zalantis is the law firm that devised the proposed Recreation District Ordinance restricting setbacks on recreation properties (Westchester Hills Country Club, the Ridgeway property, Fenway Golf Club and areas adjacent the Hutchison River Parkway) in the city last year. The Recreation Ordinance has not been reintroduced after the draft ordinance was presented last fall. There has been no comment from the city whether or not a revised such ordinance will be reintroduced, just that it was being “tweaked.” That recreation ordinance received strong objections from Westchester Hills Country Club which threatened to take the city to court over the ordinance because the club felt it compromised the future value of their property.