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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWater Advisory Committee 1983TOWN OF SOUTHOLD WATER ADVISORY COMMITTEE REPORT TO THE SOUTHOLD TOWN BOARD AUGUST 29, 1983 The North Fork Water Supply Plan completed for the County of Suffolk has detailed the various technical and financial aspects associated with providing a potable water supply to areas of Southold where the groundwater is contaminated or in limited supply. The findings and alternatives presented in the Plan'were helpful to the Southold Town Water Advisory Committee in its deliberations leading to the formulation of this report to the Southold Town Board. The committee advocates the continued use of private wells in sparsely populated areas and the formation of neighborhood or community water systems where practical, with treatment as required. Preventive measures to minimize further degradation of groundwater quality must be implemented and remedial action taken to provide a safe, reliable water supply to residents of the town. The Town of Southold recognizes the need to protect its water supply due to the limited size and fragile nature of the aquifer. The town established the Water Advisory Committee in response to the crisis created by widespread pesticide contamination in agricultural areas and the realization that other contaminants threaten the town's water supply. Southold is addressing the problem of limited water supply by ~ncreasing minimum lot size and updating the town's Master Plan to more accurately reflect appropriate land use relative to water supply. The town must remain reliant on its own groundwater resources. The committee.does not advocate the construction of a regional pipeline -from areas outside the town. The establishment of a regional pipeline . 'would not only increase the rate of development of open space and farmland, but also encourage greater densities than desired, causing the loss of the rural nature of the town. The financial costs associated with such a system would be unnecessarily burdensome to town residents. RECOMMENDATIONS The committee recommends the Town Board of Southold correspond directly with its state and federal representatives, the United States Environmental-Protection Agency, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and United States Department of Agriculture -- the agencies with responsibility for registration and control of agricultural chemicals -- and demand an accounting of actions being taken to prevent the continuing contamination of the drinking water supply for Southold Town; in particular: How has the pesticide registration process been changed to insure that new chemicals will not leach into our drinking water supply? e What action is being taken to review chemicals already registered to insure they are not contaminating the groundwater as aldicarb (Temik) has? e Why has no action been taken to protect the Long Island aquifer f~om other compounds already found to have contaminated drinking water in Southold (e.g., Vydate, Dacthal, Dinoseb and 1,2 dichloropropane)? Specifically, what action is planned by the state and federal governments to implement the cleanup of contaminated areas and provide financial aid to localities where groundwater is contaminated? II': The committee recommends that the town establish a Water Management Program with the responsibility of coordinating all water supply activities in Southold, and to design and implement an individual home filter program. The committee recommends the Town Board appoint its own water supply staff for the program and request additional technical advice from the Suffolk County Department of Health Services and Greenport Water District as required. ~ The Water Management Program should analyze an~ recommend the best method to provide and maintain individual filters. Due to the complexity of the filtration methods required to remove nitrates, chlorides, pesticides, and the aesthetic problems caused by iron and manganese, more detailed information on the cost and efficiency of various treatment units is required. The usefulness of carbon adsorption, reverse osmosis, and ion exchange units should be rated according to information and specifications provided by the manufacturer, and additional technical advice provided by the Suffolk County Department of Health Services. (continued) The committee recommends ownership of the filters by participating individuals in order to insure they are treated with reasonable care and to avoid unnecessary expense for the town. Maintenance of the filters should be controlled by the Water Management Program to insure continuity of service and reliability. It is recommended the town require new home construction utilizing individual wells which are contaminated to partici- pate in the filter maintenance program once established. When existing homes or businesses with contaminated wells are not supplied with public water, they should be encouraged to participate in the filter program on a voluntary basis. Th~ committee recommends that the Water Management Program .implement a means of providing filters to those elderly and poor residents who cannot afford to purchase a treatment unit. Use of Community Development Funds or creation of a revolving fund utilizing a town bond should be investigated. It is recommended that the town and county require water sample analysis be recorded with the deed of every home or business supplied by an individual well when sold to a new owner. If the well water quality does not meet standards, the buyer or seller should be required to provide a potable water supply by: 1. connection to public water;' 2. installation of a replacement well whose quality meets standards; or 3. p~rticipation in the town filter program. The committee recommends the Water Management Program investigate {he viability of expanding the utilization of bottled water vending machines such as the unit installed at the Senior/Youth Center in Peconic. Initial price, public acceptance, reliability and monitoring costs should be considered if the town or its contractual representative is considering additional vending machines. III · The Town Planning Board should require that their planning consultants, Raymond, Parish, Pine and Weiner, incorporate detailed water supply protection and conservation measures into the Master Plan update. The committee recommends the Master Plan update not call for higher densities in existing hamlets without provisions to provlde open space to be used as watershed. Both the quality and quantity of future water supplies should be provided for by: - 3 - IV. (continued) 1. setting aside suitable acreage to be used as watershed; requiring any application requesting an increase in density to dedicate as watershed undeveloped, non-agricultural acreage equivalent to the prevailing zoning; requiring limitations on maximum lawn areas in order to leave a minimum of twenty (20%) percent of the property in natural growth and to encourage use of water-saving devices. These actions will have the additional benefit of preserving woodlands and other open space. The committee recommends that the Town Board confer with the Suffolk County Department of Health Services and pass the necessary legislation to require any new community water systems created by new subdivisions to be deeded upon completion to the town or Greenport Water District. Consideration for fire flow should be given in new subdivision water supplies. A one-year maintenance fee or bond should be required of the developer to insure operational efficiency. Ve The committee recommends that, subject to the approval of the residents of the proposed water district, the Town of Southold acquire, upgrade and operate the water system in Mattituck Hills · (Captain Kidd). The fgasibility studies to determine how the present water quality of the Greenport Water District might be improved should be continued, and the measures found most practical and fiscally possible should be implemented. It is recommended that the town consider acquiring wellsites and establish satellite public water systems where economically feasible in the hamlets. The added benefit of increased fire protection would be provided by the formation of these new community water systems in the developed areas. The committee strongly supports the recommendations of the North Fork Water Supply Plan as they pertain to Orient. The available fresh water supply is limited, and future development should be tightly controlled and result in water requirements consistent with the permissive sustained yield of the aquifer in Zone 5 as designated in the North Fork Water Supply Plan. It is recommended that only variances resulting in less water usage be approved. In addition, the Orient area should be upzoned - 4 - (continued) from two to three-five acres to prevent further contamination and depletion of the water supply. If future development is more water-use intensive, the permissive sustained yield in the area will be exceeded, and existing residents would be adversely impacted. VI. It is recommended that a townwide information program be established to promote public understanding of the water supply situation. The program should emphasize the fragile nature of the town's aquifer and further the conservation and protection of the drinking water supply by encouraging residents to avoid the use and improper disposal of products which have the potential for contaminating the groundwater. The information program should also be used to publicize the home filter program and urge residents to make use of the Suffolk County Department of Health Services' well testing program for pesticides in those homes which have not yet received filters.