The Town of Oyster Bay will sponsor a boat Visual Distress Signal (VDS) flare disposal program, at this year's annual "Tobay Beach In-Water Boat Show" at Tobay Beach on Sunday, Oct. 7 only, according to Town Supervisor John Venditto.

"Under federal and state boating regulations, most recreational boats must be equipped with VDS flares, which are always marked with an expiration date," Venditto stated. "New York State boating requirements stipulate that the expiration date on flares must not have lapsed, meaning they cannot be legally used after the expiration date. The problem is that disposing of them is not always easy, which results in people disposing of them in ways that are potentially harmful to the environment or stockpiling them, which creates a potential explosion/fire hazard."

According to the supervisor, "The town has organized this VDS disposal program to coincide with this year's "Tobay Beach In-Water Boat Show," held at Tobay Beach, Ocean Parkway, Massapequa, as part of the boat show. Boaters who live in the Town of Oyster Bay may bring their expired VDS flares to the VDS collection site, which will be located near the entrance to the boat show, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. An environmental contractor will be on-site to collect and deactivate the flares by specially packaging them underwater. The flares will then be transported to a licensed out-of-state disposal facility for incineration."

Venditto noted that only VDS flares will be accepted at this program. He added that if response to the VDS disposal program is positive, the town will look to institute a regularly scheduled VDS disposal program similar to the town's S.T.O.P. (Stop Throwing Out Pollutants) and Electronic Waste Disposal programs.

"With miles of beautiful coastline and pristine waters, boating is a popular recreational activity in the Town of Oyster Bay," Venditto said. "While the law requires boaters to carry VDS flares, it does not address the problem of disposing of out-of-date flares. I hope boaters will avail themselves of this opportunity to dispose of outdated flares in an environmentally safe manner and enjoy the many activities that make up the Tobay Beach In-Water Boat Show."