By Peter Aronson
What seems like an environmental no-brainer in Suffolk County is in danger of not making it onto the ballot in November.
Suffolk County has a serious drinking water problem, with hundreds of thousands of residents having drinking water that exceeds the EPA’s PFAS chemical standards. On July 25, the Suffolk County Legislature has one last opportunity to vote to put the Suffolk County Water Quality Protection Act on the November 7 ballot and give voters the opportunity to decide.
[Suffolk County residents: write or call your county legislator here to urge them to put the Water Quality Restoration Act on the 2023 general election ballot. Ask them to vote yes on IR 1624 and IR 1573.]
Voters would have the opportunity, among other things, to approve a ⅛ of a penny sales tax increase with the funds going to protect water resources by expanding and upgrading sewers and funding clean water septic system replacements. (Additional details can be found in this Northport Journal article.)
Suffolk County gets its drinking water from a single underground aquifer and polluted groundwater filters into the aquifer. Much of these pollutants come from the county’s 360,000 homes and 11,000 commercial properties that rely on conventional cesspools and septic systems.
“It is critical that homes and businesses transition from these old systems to the new, advanced onsite wastewater treatment systems,” said Julie Tighe, NYLCV president. “Getting this Suffolk County Water Act on the November ballot is crucial to this effort.” (An earlier story by NYLCV provided additional details about the importance of the Act.)
The Republican-dominated county legislature has stalled the vote on the plan. At its June 21 public hearing on the matter, dozens of constituents urged the legislators to vote to place the matter on the ballot. Let voters decide, was the plea. But the legislature didn’t act and now there is this one last public hearing in which they have the opportunity to act responsibly.
This is an important health issue for residents of Suffolk County and partisan politics should not enter into it. In fact, the two candidates running for Suffolk County Executive, Ed Romaine (R) and Dave Calone (D), both support putting the Water Quality Restoration Act on the 2023 general election ballot.
Among the benefits of putting this plan on the ballot and having voters pass it:
- It would create a fund for improving and modernizing the county’s clean water infrastructure and maximize funding from the federal Infrastructure Fund and New York State’s Environmental Bond Act, passed in 2022;
- It would provide $4.2 billion for critical wastewater infrastructure and enable 360,000 homes and many thousands of businesses to install modern and more environmentally sound wastewater treatment systems; and
- It would support 2,438 new jobs in the community.
“This truly is a no-brainer,” said Tighe. “Suffolk County needs the Suffolk County Water Quality Protection Act on the ballot in November. Residents must have the opportunity to vote on this important piece of legislation. They drink the water, they deserve the vote.”
We urge Suffolk County residents to attend the meeting on Tuesday, July 25, and voice support for this plan. We ask that you please arrive at 1:30 pm at the Suffolk County Legislature, William H. Rogers Building, 725 Veterans Memorial Highway, Smithtown, NY. The Public Hearing will be begin at 2 pm. (The general meeting will start at 9:30 am.)
Instructions upon arrival:
When you arrive you will have to check in with your ID and then you can sign up to speak at the public hearing. You will be asked which resolution you want to speak under- we are asking all attendees to register to speak under IR1753.
Whether or not you are able to attend the meeting, we urge you to email or call your county legislator.
This interactive map shows areas on Long Island that have drinking water that contains contaminants exceeding EPA levels.