Ever since 1993, the Village of Roslyn Harbor has been fighting to remove underground tanks that were planted in Glenwood Landing. In recent weeks, the village finally got their wish, as the tanks, containing up to one million gallons of liquid propane gas, were dug up from the ground.

The tanks, which totaled 18 in all, are owned by Brooklyn Union Gas Company, even though when they were originally planted, the tanks were under the control of LILCO. In 1993, a leak from the tanks alarmed Roslyn Harbor officials and the campaign to get them removed began. The tanks were located west of the Swan Club in Roslyn Harbor past the LILCO plant.

Roslyn Harbor was joined by the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor in their opposition to the tanks. When the leak occurred, there were no explosions, and local fire companies kept the accident in check. However, not just the leak, but the size of the tanks concerned village officials. Roslyn Harbor Mayor Gerson Strassberg claimed they each were the "size of a submarine." Mayor Strassberg further worried that any explosion from the leaks would "blow up the entire North Shore of Long Island."

After the leak, the village held public meetings with both Nassau County and LILCO officials. The village also petitioned the New York State Public Service Commission, which regulates such facilities.

While officials at LILCO, Mayor Strassberg claimed, "stonewalled" the village at "every turn," the people at Brooklyn Union were much more cooperative. In mid-1997, Brooklyn Union took over operations of the tanks from LILCO and after doing a study of their usage, decided that the tanks weren't necessary.

Originally planted in 1950, the tanks were to be used in the event that there was a gas shortage on Long Island. However, the Iroquois gas line, coming down from Canada, now provided Long Island with a new source of gas supply, enough to make the tanks obsolete. And so, the tanks were not relocated elsewhere, but put out of service entirely.

Mayor Strassberg called the removal "one of the greatest victories" of his tenure as Roslyn Harbor mayor. He added that all the local villages on the North Shore, in addition to the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor, supported the village's stand. For their part, Brooklyn Union is considering converting the field to "community use," possibly as a park for local residents.