Nassau lawmakers are having a tough time agreeing on how to pay for major repairs to the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant in East Rockaway, which was badly damaged during Superstorm Sandy.

Residents say the renovations need to be done quickly because of the irritating odor and the constant sound of running generators. Many neighbors say they have concerns about what might be in their water.

As News 12 Long Island has reported, the plant went offline for two days after Superstorm Sandy sent 9 feet of saltwater inside. It's been running on generators ever since.

At a public meeting today, nearly two dozen neighbors called on county officials to take action because it's ruining their quality of life.



Lawmakers say it will cost $722 million to repair the plant. The Legislature has already authorized borrowing about a third of that money, and county Republicans want to borrow the rest of it as soon as possible. County Democrats, however, don't want to authorize more debt without seeing specific plans that detail how the money will be spent.

Lawmakers voted 11-7 today against spending the money on repairs. They did, however, decide to revisit the issue later, but it's unclear when that will happen.



Residents who are caught in the middle say they just want the plant fixed.