Tests Confirm Salt Problem

By JOE ZELNIK CREST HAVEN - Cape May County Health Officer Louis Lamanna has alerted county physicians that there is a ‘‘serious problem” of high sodium (salt) content in drinking water in all the barrier’ island communities. The warning, and the data from test samples taken Feb. 28, also went to county officials and to officials in Avalon, Cape May, Ocean City, Sea Isle City, Stone Harbor and the Wildwoods. High sodium content of water may not be a problem for healthy persons. The Herald and Lantern have been reporting the issue since Feb. 8, but officials in some communities — notably Avalon and Cape May — attemp)ted to deny the reports. A Feb. 13 news release from Avalon slated that salt water intrusion was “not a problem.” And Cape May City Manager Fred Coldren last week said the HeraldLantern data was "incorrect.”

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Lamanna Warns Doctors: ‘Be Guided Accordingly’

MEDICAL ALERT stated, howevets“This information is being provided so that physicians can be guided accordingly in the treatment of their patients on saltrestricted diets.” "Since Cape May County’s population consists of a high percentage of senior citizens,” Lamanna wrote, “this information will be of special importance to physicians in their treatment of patients for congestive heart failure, hypertension and other heart-related diseases, as well as for other patients in the treatment of cirrhosis of the liver, toxemias of pregnancy and Meniere’s disease, etc.” “It looks like most of my patients won’t be able to drink water,” comnjented Dr. Robert J Sorensen, chief of medicine and cardiology at Burdette Tomlin Memorial Hospital. "It may not be problem,” added Sorensen, who had not yet received the

notification Monday. “A lot of people can’t remember when they had their last drink of water.*’ LAMANNA TOLD the Herald and Lantern this week that a second water sample will be taken in early April even though the county’s own equipment for testing the samples may not be obtained until after that. “If we can get the DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) to do it for us for nothing, we’ll do it,” he said. Otherwise, he said, the laboratory at Stockton State College will be used again Lamanna said it was too soon “to determine whether this is serious or not. We have insufficient data at. this time. But hopefully over the next few months, by monitoring on a monthly basis, we will be able to know the trend one way or another.” A combined Health-Planning depart-

ments report,on possible solutions is due in the next few months. LAMANNA’S ALERT to doctors said 50 mg/1 (milligrams per liter) is the max imum allowable level of sodium and each of the communities has “at lease one or more” reading over that. The physician-Yecommended maximum level for persons on low sodium diets is 20 mg/1. The county's Feb 28 testing found well readings as nigh as 153.7 in Avalon, 87.7 in Cape May, 180.3 in Ocean City, 98 in Wildwood. 163.4 in Stone Harbor, and 92 in Sea Isle City. And it found distribution system readings, taken from faucets selected at random, as high as 139.2 in Avalon, 159.7 in Cape May, 118 in Ocean City, 117.4 in Wildwood. 118.6 in Stone Harbor, and 51.4 in Sea Isle City, which appeaps-tehave the (Page iBPleasef \

Avalon’s Budget

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AVALON — Borough Cquhcil will hold a special meeting and public hearing at 9:30 a.m. tomorrowqtt'the council meeting room of Borough Hall on the proposed 1984 municipal budget. The $4.6 million budget represents a $316,679 increase over last year. Only $‘A Million BURLEIGH — With its chairman

Vol.20No.1] ‘tm

absent and vice chairman abstaining, the

county Municipal Utilities Authority voted 2-0 last week, to build a trash transfer station here for $1,752,000 — $500,000 more than the estimated cost of the garage-type structure, slated for

completion July 4 on a 17-acre tract along

Shunpike. Art Anderson of South Vineland submitted the lowest of nine

Down The Road? COURT HOUSE - County freeholders directed their designers last week to estimate the cost and complications of building a two-way street parallel to the north bound Garden State Partway, linking Crest Haven Road and Stone Harbor Boulevard. Still several years away if authorized, the new road has been proposed as the county’s contribution to intersection improvements that include parkway overpasses for Stone Harbor Boulevard and Crest Haven Road and access ramps from each of the thoroughfares here. MUA Lax * t CREST HAVEN - Middle Township slapped a stop work order on the county Municipal Utilities Authority $8 million composting plant under construction here (Page 18 Please)

In Court House Council Says Raw Sewage Pollutes

BANK ON IT — Dawn Greek, assistant curator at the Cape May County Museum in Court House, shows the Irish Policenlan’s Bank, patented in England in 1882. It’s one of many that will be exhibited at the “Treasury of Banks” display during the museum's open house April 7.

By JOE ZELNIK COURT HOUSE - The Cape May County Environmental Council says the Middle Township Sewer Plant has been dumping “raw sewerage” into local waterways for 15 years. And it has urged the count) Health Department not to approve any new connections to the plant. The county Planning Department also has asked the Middle Township Planning Board to “review” the plant before any additional connections are made. The Middle Township Sewer Authority has tentatively approved requests to connect to the plant from the Jamesway Shipping Center and a proposed 120-bed nurs-

ing home.

The shopping ceqter connection was suggested by the Health Department, “contingent on plant capacity," because the center has a persistent sewage overflow problem from its septic system. The council, an eight-member advisory group appointed by the board of freeholders, charged in its letter that the treatment plant “currently pumps file excess — untreated — into the waterways. “Thousands of gallons of raw sewerage have been dumped directly into our waterways each day since 1)68. We believe it’s time to move on this very important issue and not wait until this untreated excess creates a serious health problem," said

the council.

County Planning Director Elwodd

Would Tourists Come

If Businesses To the eternal question, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg? ” has been ad-

ded a new yoke:

Who leaves Cape May County first, the tourist or the motel/restaurant owner? Members of the county Economic Development Commission were ruing the shortage of year-round jobs recently and wondering if there wasn’t some way to capitalize on the Atlantic City casino

crowds.

Most seemed to agree an “extended tourist season” was the answer. “THE GENERAL THEORY," said G. John Schreiner, “is that there aren’t enough hotel rooms up there. It’s costly for a family to go there. Let’s see if there’s something down here. Do an inventory ." “People on vacation are trying to buy a , little hanpinesi,” said Richard G. Pfaltzgraff. “What kind of happiness do we have in the off-season?”

Opened?

“Atlantic City is turning down thousands of conventions," said Robert A. Laws “It offered to throw ’em to Wildwood if they’d enlarge the'convention hall and make a commitment on rooms. It just died. The general attitude is that most of the people around here want to go to Florida in the

wintertime.”

“WE COULD EXTEND the tourist season if the businessmen would stay open past September," suggested Nan Mavromates, director of the county's Private Industry Council and Job Training Partnership Act. “Get 'em the people first," said Laws. “You get the people and the businessmen

will stay open.”

“There were more places open in the winter before the casinos, than now,” said Pfaltzgraff. “The casino industry has hurt us. The casinos have forgotten the voters put them there to try and help everybody."

Jarmer said “a lot of people are concerned, including township officials. A spvfew should be made of the plant to determine if additional flow from the nursing home can be handled. This should get a thorough

airing.”

Michael Vistenzo, sewer authority member and township construction official and zoning officer, has said “We feel we have the capacity.” ' He said the plant was designed to treat 100.000 gallons a day and is receiving 50.000 to 60.000. The environmental council said the plant is receiving 90,000 gallons a day. Vistenzo said be “guestimated" the shopping center would add 6,000 to 8,000 gallons and the nursing home “less than 10.000 gallons.” The issue of plant capacity came under scrutiny after concerns were voiced about increased sewage from the enlarged Burdette Tomlin Memorial Hospital. That didn’t require any permit, approvals since it was already connected to the plant. Vistenzo said it would bring “a slight increase.” The addition will take the hospital from 171 beds to 240 in a year. Toe environmental council said the plant at the northeast corner of the intersection (Page 18 Please)