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Stone Harbor Water Had High Salt-

Herald & Lantern 15 February '84

(From Page L) munity’' be informed of high sodium levels so that people with a problem who are try- • ing to limit sodium intake can reduce it in other prepared foods." ‘Hie mechanism" <of the law) is not very well defined,” said William Laffey of the bureau, "but the intent is that doctors be aware." Lamanna said he did not alert doctors betause "it was not the prudent thing to do You never jump the gun. You don’t push the panic button. You go back and resample and confirm the actual condition exists.” ... : Sutton declined to reveal specific results of the last six months of testing, but he said "August levels were quite low On chloride, and you expect salt water intrusion to be higher in the summer when there's heavy pumping. The results were good in terms ofcWoride.” The county is testing chloride.' not sodium, because it lacks equipment .to test for sodium. Salt water contains sodium and chlorfd# Chloride levels are an indication of sodium levels, but there is disagreement on Ijow reliable the relationship is. ‘it’s not scientific.” said Sutton. "I^’s a~ very rough extrapolation, nothing we’re comfortable with. We know if the chloride is over 250. we’ve got a problem.” ■A $2,217 machine which will enable the Health Department to test forsddium is in the county's proposed 1984 budget, due to be adopted later this month. Sutton said the equipment could arrive by April and be in use "by May 1 in the problem communities of Stone Harbor and Avalon.” Lamanna also did not inform the county’s nine-member Public Health Advisory Committee about Stone Harbor’s

Salt Problem-

(From Page 1) mp/1 last December, and 38.7 last month. . It pointed out that "the state sets 50 mg/1 as the highest safe level.” It did not point out that a low sodium diet only allows for 20 mg/1 It also did not point out that salt water intrusion normally is higher in the summer when water use.is high and water level w4ow, making wells’more susceptible to sea water. The news release, quoting John O'Doif nell, assistant supervisor of water and sewer, said "one month that shows, a •slightly higher sodium content does not mean it is a trend that will continue." 4 The Avalon news release also reported that chloride in local water is averaging "only 10 percent of the allowable amount' Salt water contains sodium and chloride, but experts disagree on the relationship between the two. "It's a very rough extrapolation," said Clay Sutton, environmental program administrator with the county Heajth Department, "nothing we re comfortable with.” The Avalon news release said the borough has been "very thorough" in its water testing and "extremely alert” to its test readings. “In all cases, we do many more tests than are required by the state and to great detail." said O'Donnell. The county Health Department has been testing Avalon’s wells bimonthly since August, after reports of high sodium readings. The state has required sodium tests every three years.

Tuition Abuse—

(From Page 1) cy” to deal with the problem. Atlantic Community College, for example, charges nonresident students $98 a credit. Cape May County pays a $65-per- ‘ credit chargeback so its residents’ tuition is reduced to the same $33 per credit Atlantic County students pay. Lack of a Cape May County Community College is a frequent election issue, with some Democrats claiming the county would do better to have its own school. Sturm has defended this system by saying Cape May County is too small for its own college and the cost, assuming the need to build and maintain a campus, would be too higfi

high sodium reading. It meets quarterly and Lamanna confirmed there was no mention of the problem in the minutes of last September’s meeting. "I logically would have informed them a survey was undfer way,” he said. Asked why he didn’t, he replied. “Who knows? It wasn’t all that big a deal to begin with. We keep them thoroughly informed. If it was a critical issue, you better believe it would have been mentioned " Lamanna also said a search of the department's files failed to find a report on Stone Harbor’s March tests, but there was a June copy of high test results by DEP "made available to us by Stone Harbor.”' "We don’t have those March numbers," said Lamanna. who agreed it was possible it took until June for the Health Department to get the March tpst results. "They could be the same numbers,” he said. The path of Stone Harbor's high sodium test results is difficult to trace because its public works superintendent. Ira Dillyn, has been in that post only since Janaury. Dillyn said "everyone was aware” of the results and that "as far as I know, the licensed operator (Dillyn’s predecessor) got-in touch with council." That was Robert Waterman of Goshen, since retired, and out of the county for several weeks. “I was his foreman, but they don’t always tell you everything,” said Di|lyn. "The county should notify us if we have problems. “Sodiums here run almost at tHe state limit," said Dillyn. “We’ve been borderline so long, not serious, just borderline. Everybody in our acquifier has the same.kind of problem. I know our next set of samples is going to be high.” Borough Manager Edwin F. Pain told the Herald and Lantern two weeks ago that the borough had nc sodium problem, that it "had one report of high sodium about three years ago, but it went away.” The Health Department testing program, which began bimonthly in Avalon and Stone Harbor last August, will be expanded this month to include “the whole run, from Ocean City to Cape May," according to Sutton. Lamanna said A\alon and Stone Harbor probably will be tested monthly. Although the Health Department is doing the testing, the results are going into the Planning Department’s computer and the report will come from it. “They're the lead agency," said Sutton. There are 48 municipal wells on the barrier islands, said Sutton. That does not include wells in Rio Grande which are the water source for the Wild woods. They are less, susceptible^to salt water intrusion, which the county has galled its “most, crucial (drinking water) problem.” "If our assumptions are correct,” said Planning Director El wood Jarmer, "in the long tenp, the islands may not be able to rely on the water out there."

Doris Ward SAMPLING SKILLS — Mary Price samples a shrimp roil-from a Cape May County VoTech School display at the Rio Grande Mall list week. The exhibit marked the opening of National Vocational Education Week. Student Richard Nuckols, left, and instructor Louis Porto did the cooking.

Gen. Gov’t., Education Push County-

(From Page 1) and other insurance premiums are up $66,000, from $531,000 to $597,000. The office of the clerk of the board has a $52,000 hike, from $107,436 to $159,028, partially because of the promotion of clerk Kathryn Willis to the new position of clerk/administrator, and the naming of Diane Rudolph as deputy clerk. The clerkadministrator post also was a suggestion of the management improvement study. The board of freeholders has a $42,000 increase which includes $15,000 in freeholder pay (from $12,000 a year to $15,000), $15,000 for a new position of administrative secretary to the director of the board, and an additional $11,000 in “other expenses.” Education, the county’s third most expensive budget category, increases by 14 percent or almost a half-million dollars, from $2.9 million to a proposed $3.4 million. LARGEST ITEM is county reimbursement for residents attending out-of-county two-year colleges . It climbed more than 33 percent, increasing by $236 million, from $704,000 to $940,000 (see related story). Last year, that item was increased from $420,000 to $704,000. The management improvement study had repeated an earlier concern that the increasing cost "may be caused by people who live out of county..." Sturm said the state was partially at fault for "not meeting its original obligation to community colleges.” ✓

Health and Welfare Trails Budget Hikes

Health and Welfare has the smallest percentage increase — 5 per cent — in Cape May County's proposed 1984 budget. Those programs are appropriated $8.4 million this year compared to $8.1 million spent last year. Freeholder Gerald M. Thornton, director of Health and Human Services, said the county will be offering “more programs to - more people," but was able to keep down the cost-byjjeing "very dedicated and aggressive in finding new revenues other than county money.” He also said the county is “providing more volunteer services, and they, reduce the county dollars needed for programs. "Anybody that walks in truly in need will walk out with some type of help,” said Thornton. He cited emergency housing funds, emergency food resources, and emergency energy assistance, all federalcounty programs. Salaries and wages are Health and Welfare’s biggest budget hikes. Health Services, for example has a 23 percent increase of $177,000, friom $782,000 to $909,000.

Thornton said this assumes that the county Health Department will "pick up Wildwood as an area of responsibility; we are negotiating." But, Thornton said, the county share of the Health Department budget will be decreased because it is collecting more money for fees from such services as • hysical therapy, nursing, inspections etc. A $77,000 decrease in “services” of the ■ ounty Welfare Board includes cuts in : ’jeh things, he said, as information and eferral, protective services, homemaker ervices, medical transportation. "There wasn’t a demand for them,” said 'horn ton. Money for maintenance of patients in * r tale institutions for the mentally retarded s down $21,000, from $505,000 to $484,000, Tiornton said, because of deinstitutionalization. There is no indication in the proposed 1984 budget that the county intends to go ^abead with a recommendation of a management improvement study last fall: creating one central Human Services Department. But Thornton said it “could happen this year and would cost less.”

The budget also includes a I9.b percent increase for the Special Services School District, which climbed $75,000 from $384,000 to $459,000. Sturm said that was due to "increasing enrollment; the building is at capacity and bursting at the seams.* Sturm also pointed out that special education is reimbursed 67.5 percent by the state, 17.5 percent by the county, and 15 percent by the local "sending district.”’ The vocational school budget is up by $77,000, to $1.Q million, but that is only a 5 percent increase. COUNTY WAGES and salaries, excluding a few divisions of county govern-^ ment, are uphy $711,384, from $13.7 million to $14.4 million. That's a 5 percent increase, although the county’s 1984.wage hike for most union members.and management personnel is 6.4 percent, Sturm said. He said the difference reflects some persons paid partially from federal and state grants, plus some persons whose pay is fixed by statute. Several departments have huge in-, creases in terms of percentage, but not large in dollars. The county medical examiner, for example. has a % percent increase, with wages “ going from $30,938 to $64,487, and other expenses climbing from $16,000 to $27,685. Sturm said that department will have “a total reorganization” with the medical examiner and his one-member staff being doubled. Expenses for the Human Services Advisory Council, a 17-member unpaid group, will climb 118 percent, from $13,246 to $26,151 and the one-member staff will be doubled to write a state-required Human Services Plan. CONSUMER AFFAIRS will have an 86 percent budget hike, from $17,722 to $32,927, as the one-man department is doubled. The Recreation Department will go up by 35 percent, from $480,252 tgo $650,366. Sturm said that reflects park expansions that include an enclosed shelter, an enlarged zoo, and a finished gazebo. Capital improvements are up by 15 peicent, from $1.6 million to $1.9 million. Biggest item is $800,000 set aside as required by law for the 5 percent “down payment” for an anticipated $13-million to $14-million bond issue for a new Crest Haven nursing home and courthouse expansion. The county will spend $290,000 at the airport including renovations of $180,000 at Building No. 9, $40,000 on the airport passenger area, $35,000 on the restaurant, and $11,000 for a roof. THERE’S ALSO $168,000 set aside for trucks and vans, $100,500 for improvements to county paries, $106,000 for equipment for the prosecutor’s office, and $86,500 for "computers, word processors, electronic typewriters,” etc. The county proposes to decrease its equalized tax rate a half-cent per $100 of assessed value, from 41.2 cents to 40.7 cents. It’s able to do that, despite a budget increase, because of a record $5.3-million surplus in 1983. For a home assessed at $50,000, the county tax would be $203.50 in 1964, compared to $206 in 1983, according to Shirm.