NEWSLETTER
Members are encouraged to
submit articles, dive plans and dive reports.
Visit club web site at http://www.diversanonymous.com
DA Dive Log
DA Dive Plan
December DA Meeting Minutes,
Unapproved
Next Meeting
Notice
Dean Fessler,
Shark Research Specialist
Will present his
latest work
At
730PM Mario’s Restaurant
New Guests are welcome to
attend this meeting
__________________________________________________________________
Ocean Wreck Divers Flea
Market
If you plan to attend the February 29th
Ocean Wreck Divers Flea Market, bring your items to the flea market, and find
our club table. Tom, Rich, and Ben will try to sell the items for you there. If
you can’t make the event but can make our DA meeting on Jan 26 or
For directions, check their
site: www.oceanwreckdivers.com
Peggy’s News
From:
Peggy Bowen, Director, NJ Council of Diving Clubs
Just when we think we are winning the war on a clean
ocean;
this 'bypass' happens.
- - - - - - -
Re: Action Alert from COA on "Blended" sewage
From : Kari Jermansen, Outreach Director
Outreach@CleanOceanAction.org
Clean Ocean Action www.CleanOceanAction.org
PO Box 505
Sandy Hook, NJ 07732
PH: (732) 872-0111 FAX: (732) 872-8041
On November 7, 2003, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a
draft guidance that would allow the discharge of partially and inadequately
treated sewage during rain events into waterways, including coastal waters.
The proposed guidance is unacceptable and irresponsible. The adverse impacts
from this proposed rule threaten the region's public health, marine
resources, and the economy.
Clean Ocean Action has reviewed and prepared comments for the proposed
guidance as it relates to ocean discharge of "blended" sewage.
The attached
(bottom) factsheet outlines the proposed guidance and the concerns. Also
attached is a copy of the technical comments ready for sign-ons (Not
attached - e-mail if you want it - Peggy).
If your organization wants to sign onto these comments,
please contact COA by February 1.
The original deadline for comments was January 9, but EPA has extended the
comment period to February 9.
We also invite you to participate in a press conference that we will be
holding in
Please help us urge EPA to immediately withdraw the proposed guidance and
hold fast to and enforce existing rules that address the root causes of
wastewater treatment problems.
= = = = = = =
Fact Sheet from COA (from a word.doc - if you want a word.doc for sending
out in your club newsletters, I can send it to you. Peggy)
Steps to Wastewater Treatment and Ocean Discharge in
Step 1: Primary treatment typically consists of a preliminary treatment or
screening to remove large solids, and primary clarification to remove
floating and settleable solids.
Step 2: Secondary treatment is typically an oxidation process that removes
most of the pathogenic organisms, including viruses and parasites, and other
pollutants from wastewater
Step 3: Disinfection by chlorination.
= = = = = = =
Action Alert:
INAQEQUATELY TREATED SEWAGE WILL POLLUTE OUR OCEAN
On November 7, 2003, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a
draft guidance that would allow the discharge of partially and inadequately
treated sewage during rain events into waterways, including coastal waters.
The proposed guidance is unacceptable and irresponsible. The adverse impacts
from this proposed rule threaten the region's public health, marine
resources, and the economy.
Here are the concerns with EPA's proposed guidance with respect to coastal
water quality:
+ In New Jersey, over 170 million gallons of treated
wastewater per
day are discharged into the ocean* by publicly owned treatment works (POTWs)
that use secondary treatment and disinfection when processing wastewater
from homes and businesses.
+ The proposed EPA guidance would allow POTWs to
re-route sewage
around secondary treatment units after the primary filtering treatment step
in the sewage treatment process during wet weather. The untreated but
filtered sewage would then be "blended" with fully treated wastewater
before
discharge into a waterbody, and in coastal areas, this means directly into
the ocean.
+ Essentially, the proposed guidance would skip a
critical step in the
secondary treatment of wastewater during rain or snow events. Currently,
facilities are only allowed to skip or "bypass" secondary treatment
under
specific criteria laid out in the existing bypass rule.
+ Also, the proposal does not mandate disinfection
for all blended
sewage unless required by local water quality standards.
+ Contact with sewage-polluted water can make people
sick. Swimming,
surfing, and other contact with inadequately treated wastewater exposes
people to harmful bacteria, pathogens, and viruses.
+ As proposed, this "blending" during wet
weather would be allowed in
the permit when the capacity of the secondary treatment unit(s) is fully
utilized. A permit for a POTW that performs blending would have two
different treatment trains specified: (1) full secondary treatment during
non-wet weather peak flows and (2) partial secondary treatment (i.e.,
blending) during wet weather peak flows.
+ Although EPA states that permit limits would have
to be met by any
"blended" sewage, this still does not provide adequate protection of
the
aquatic system or human health. Permit limits do not yet exist for
chlorination byproducts (i.e., chlorine-produced oxidants caused by the
disinfection process), the bacterial pathogen indicator enterococci,
and nutrients such as ammonia, bioaccumulative pollutants, and other toxins.
"Blended" sewage would require the addition of large quantities of
chlorine
and will not achieve the same pathogen removal effectiveness as full
secondary treatment.
+ EPA recognizes that alternatives exist for
addressing problems with
POTWs, including measures to handle excess capacity. If this guidance is
adopted as proposed, it will no longer require alternatives to bypass to be
used even when they are feasible. Furthermore, the proposal is not
consistent with and is weaker than bypass requirements in EPA's Combined
Sewer Overflow (CSO) policy.
This guidance will not motivate POTWs to pursue solving the problems
associated with wet weather. It actually supports routine permitting of
incomplete treatment, which is counter to Clean Water Act goals of full
secondary treatment. In coastal areas of New Jersey, facilities are
reaching capacity and the proposal undermines state and local efforts to
directly address the problems of increasing population
To sign onto comments urging EPA to immediately withdraw the proposed
guidance and hold fast to and enforce existing rules that address the root
causes of wastewater treatment problems, contact Clean Ocean Action
(732-872-0111) by February 1.
*For information about wastewater discharge into the ocean, visit
www.cleanoceanaction.org/Reports/wastewater/mainpage/wastewater.html
--------------------------------------------------------
E-mail: mailto:pegdiver@monmouth.com
______________________________________________________________________
DA
Dive Log
Tom
Gormley and Rich Mullen dove the Bluffs Wreck off the Bay Head shore on
December 31, 2003. The ocean was very calm so the divers decided to give the spot
a try. The surf allowed easy entry and exits, but the vis turned out to be very
poor. It seems that the ocean was very rough the previous day and all the
stirred up sediment was still in the area. The ocean temp was 40 degrees. After
trying to locate the wreck in practically zero vis, the divers called it a dive
and left. Tom reported seeing one skate and one snail on the dive.
Rich
and Angela dove the Dykes wreck off the dive boat Outlaw on January 1, 2004.
The temp was a good 43 degrees and the vis was 15 feet. The ocean was fairly
flat so the conditions were like early spring. Angela was diving in her wetsuit
because her ordered dry suit has yet to arrive. Give her a lot of credit for
January diving in a wetsuit off the coast of
Tom
and Rich dove
Ben
Gualano spent 4 days in his favorite dive location,
DA Dive Plan
Tom’s boat dive
dates are:
Boat Dives: Sundays: May 02, June 6, and
Thanks go to AL Nesterok who headed the party
committee. Awards were given to many members who contributed to the success of
Divers Anonymous over the past year. Tom and Rich wrapped and secured many of
the great gifts that everyone enjoyed. Gifts were contributed by
Thanks to everyone else who attended and contributed
to the evening.
(Any
sales of gear are subject to terms agreed upon by sellers and buyers.)
E-mail: Rick Farmer stainless steel
backplate and OMS back inflation BCD,
E-mail: Tom Gormley 50 cuft low pressure
steel tank, Nitrox ready, new condition
Monthly Meeting
Minutes
Divers Anonymous
Scuba Dive Club
Mario’s Restaurant
/ 710 Van Houten Avenue, Clifton, NJ
November 24, 2003
Members Present:
Richard Bertoldi
Jamie Cacciatore
Greg Carlucci
Maurizia Corrao
Edith Farmer
Ian Fryer
Tom & Norva Gormley
Fredrick Marcus
Leo and Connie Mazur
Richard Mullen
Al Nesterok
Angela O’Reiley
Lara Padula
Don Van Dyk
The
meeting began at
Executive Committee Reports
Treasurer Report / Lara Padula
These funds are used to pay for expenses occurred
running our club and to help offset expenses for various club offered
activities.
Secretary Report / Richard Mullen
Last months minutes accepted unread as they appeared
in October’s Newsletter.
Vice President’s Report / Al Nesterok
Annual
Christmas Party will be held at San Carlos in Lyndhurst on Saturday January 10,
2005. Party will include buffet dinner, soft
drinks, desert with cash open bar.
Prizes and awards will be presented.
Cost to attend is $25 for club members and $35 for guests. Payment is requested by no later than next
club meeting.
President’s Report / Thomas Gormley
Tom discussed our upcoming
Ian and Norva made a motion to vote on a donation to
the USS Murphy Memorial Fund. The amount of $100 was proposed and all present
approved of the motion.
Old Business
There was
nothing new to report.
New Business
There was nothing
new to report.
Guest Speaker
Angela O’Reilly spoke about her non-profit venture
in
Minutes submitted by Secretary, Richard Mullen
2004
Divers
Anonymous Calendar
Updated
|
Jan
2004 ·
01/05: DA Planning
meeting 6:30 p.m.
at 6 Bros Diner Rt. 46 ·
01/10: DA
Holiday Party
7:30 p.m. San Carlos Rest 620 Stuyvesant Ave,
Lyndhurst ·
01/26: DA Club Meeting 7:30
p.m. “White Shark Research Presentation” by Dean Fessler |
Feb
2004 ·
02/01: Bottle Show, South
River ·
02/14: 4th Annual
DA Ski Day ·
02/29: ·
02/23: DA Club Meeting |
Mar
2003
|
|
Apr
2004 ·
04/04: Manasquan RR Bridge
Dive, 8AM ·
04/07: Pool Dive for gear
check and warm-up 9:15 p.m. Clifton YMYWHA ·
Sunday shore dives ·
04/26: DA Club Meeting 7:30
p.m. Annual Dues and Officer
Elections |
May
2004
|
June
2004
|
|
Jul
2004 ·
Local Shore Dives TBA ·
7/17 & 18 DA Weekend at Dutch Springs ·
07/26: DA Club Meeting, Topic,
“Favorite Dives” |
Aug
2004
|
Sep
2004 ·
09/05: Labor Day
Delaware Picnic ·
9/12 Sun Shore Wreck Dive ·
9/16 Thursday Night Dive, 9pm,
Shark River Inlet, Avon ·
09/27: DA Club Meeting 7:30
p.m. |
|
Oct
2003
|
Nov
2003 ·
Local Shore Dives TBA ·
Annual gear
maintenance workshop TBA ·
11/24: DA Club Meeting 7:30
p.m. Kevin Mc Murray & Dan Crowell on USS Murphy |
Dec
2003 ·
12/15: DA Club
Meeting 7:30 p.m. Angela O’Reilly
“California B-36” ·
12/28: Winter Shore Dive |
Pink highlighted events are subsidized by DA dues