Construction for New Island Hospital's multi-million dollar renovation and expansion project has come to a screeching halt, after excavation uncovered 30 old cesspools on the future site of two new wings for emergency services, surgeries and recovery.

Construction workers have found the cesspools a few at a time throughout the past several weeks, during excavation to prepare for the laying of foundation for the new wings, according to Paul Seale, president and Chief Executive Officer of New Island. Seale noted that the cesspools were used before the hospital was hooked up to the Nassau County sewer system, and had been decommissioned since the facility's connection to that system.

"Apparently these are cesspools that were decommissioned many years ago, before the hospital was connected to the Nassau County sewer system. So there are not a lot of plans available for these items," Seale said. "And they weren't picked up when the test borings were done of the ground, which is part of normal, standard construction preparedness, to make sure that the ground is appropriate for the construction."

The excavation followed the demolition of a former part of the hospital to make way for the new facilities, which will consist of 55,000 square feet of new space situated about 75 feet from Hempstead Turnpike. The construction project for the new wings has been under way since December, 1999.

The hospital, which is located on Hempstead Turnpike in Bethpage and serves the communities of Plainedge, Bethpage, Farmingdale, Massapequa, Levittown, Hicksville and Plainview, is in the midst of a major overhaul. The project, which was spurred by the takeover of New Island, formerly known as Mid-Island, by a joint venture sponsorship of Winthrop South Nassau University Health System and Catholic Health Services of Long Island last spring, has included renovation of existing facilities and the addition of the two new wings. The overhaul, as well as the takeover, are being funded by a $48 million bond issue.

The cesspool findings have delayed the project by several weeks, as hospital officials must continue to deal with the pools before foundation work can begin. However, Seale does not expect this development to significantly impact the target completion date for the expansion. Construction is expected to resume within the next few weeks, he said, with completion slated for Spring 2001. The hospital is working with the Nassau County Department of Health, which oversees the commissioning of cesspools, as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in an effort to ensure compliance with environmental and health regulations with regard to the handling of the cesspools.

Seale has assured that there has been no threat to human health as a result of the findings. "Actually, there's not any significant real contamination in any way," he said. "When they put the sewer line in, they just cut the lines to the old systems that were there - properly capped off the pipes - but now those actual structures are just in the way."

However, he added that, in accordance with county health department protocol, the hospital must test the sediment contained in those structures, in order to properly deal with any contamination they may contain.