Newsday letters to the editor for Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017

Politicians are talking about the serious problem of water pollution [“Water panel meeting on tap at SBU,” News, Sept. 23]. The quality of our water has been degrading for decades. When will people ever learn?

How ironic that politicians try to look good addressing these issues while at the same time fighting for the rest of the world to come here and live. Long Island, a small and well-populated place, is a great study in the destruction of nature for profit and population growth.

Now our great leaders have their fingers crossed that the Cedar Creek sewage treatment plant’s outfall pipe to the ocean will be able to handle other too-costly-to-upgrade sewage plants being converted to pump stations. I’ve never seen a society so wrong on so many fronts.

It doesn’t take a genius to predict what will happen to all those baby shellfish being placed in our bays when we continue to pollute. It would be best to add an ocean outfall pipe to the Bay Park plant in case Cedar Creek goes out of service.

Corrado Vasquez, Old Bethpage

Editor’s note: The writer is a retired sewage plant laboratory director for Nassau County.

My family received a notice that the Hampton Bays Water District is taking a well out of service because its drinking water was contaminated with perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, industrial chemicals used to make Teflon, fight fires and more.

Last year, the district shut another well for the same reason. But are the remaining wells safe? We can’t be sure. That’s especially troubling for me, as I’ve just completed 18 weeks of chemotherapy for cancer.

Five months ago, New York State took a step in the right direction when Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and legislators such as Sen. Ken LaValle passed legislation that created the New York State Drinking Water Quality Council. This council would step up oversight and regulation of chemical contaminants that place our lives at risk. The council will meet for the first time on Oct. 2 at Stony Brook University.

Long Island needs this council to get to work on policies that protect us from drinking water laced with carcinogens such as PFOA.

Patricia Stepanovic, Hampton Bays

Praise for citation of partyboat anglers

“Partyboat’s haul cited for fishing violations” [News, Sept. 21] reports that state officials cited anglers for undersized and over-the-limit fish.

I applaud and congratulate the state Department of Environmental Conservation for enforcing the laws that are so important to maintaining fish stocks.

As a lifelong fisherman on Long Island, I’ve witnessed overfishing and a disregard for conservation laws by some, but not all, fishermen.

To catch undersized fish or to fish over the limit, only to dump them to avoid being caught, is deplorable. It shows a total disregard for other fishermen and our conservation laws.

Arthur Kreiss, Wantagh

Sponsors won’t ignore low ratings

The Emmy Awards’ anti-Donald Trump fest got just what it deserved: low ratings [“Emmy history ‘Maid,’ ” News, Sept. 18].

You would think that members of TV royalty would get it: The incessant insults to the president from these self-absorbed actors aren’t funny or entertaining. But no, they keep up the barrage, cackling to themselves at how clever they are.

Ultimately, the joke will be on them, because corporate sponsors won’t be so eager to fund diminishing returns. It just goes to show that ignoring your audience isn’t a good idea, as the NFL is also learning.

The national anthem kneelers should take note: If fan support declines, so will their outrageous salaries.

Michael Quane, South Hempstead

Redraw unfair electoral districts

Gerrymandering results when legislative district lines are drawn by states and localities for unfair partisan advantage [“The best way to oversee our elections,” Opinion, Sept. 11].

What’s needed are fair and objective redistricting rules through open, transparent line-drawing driven by such standards as keeping communities together in a logical manner.

There’s still time before the redistricting cycle that follows the 2020 census to open up and reform the process. New district lines should be appropriately fair to reduce voters’ frustration.

State and county election boards need to advocate for a fairer election process.

Jeffrey M. Wice, Long Beach

Editor’s note: The writer has served as redistricting counsel to the New York State Legislature, Nassau County and other states and localities.