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Home My WebLink About03/1988 . . NEWSLETTER FISHERS ISLAND CONSER V ANCY, INC. Box 553 FISHERS ISLAND, NEW YORK 06390 RECEIVED APR 1 8 1988 Southold T "w" elm March 1988 Volume III, Number 1 Water Studv: In December 1987, the Conservancy signed a contract for a hydrogeological analysis of the Fishers Island aquifer. As a result, the amount of water available from all above-ground and underground sources will be reliably estimated via test wells and ground research, A concluding report will be provided by the Conservancy to all interested persons and organizations on the Island, All of us are terribly concerned that if water usage consistently exceeds water availability, we could experience a reduced quality of life on Fishers Island, The work will be done by Groundwater, Inc, a geological and water supply consulting firm based in Middletown, CT, The chief consulting engineer working with us will be Paul Marin, who has extensive hydrogeologic experience, The Conservancy will be drilling new research wells in 1988 and monitoring old wells, Many persons have given us permission to monitor their privately-owned wells, We will be collecting data both during a period of high water availability (June) and a period of low water availability (September), So far the Conservancy has received private contributions totalling $30,000 for this program, Persons who wish to provide additional financial assistance so that we can expand our test well drilling program should contact John Thatcher at (201) 635-5470, Bob Parsons at 1-800- 556-7757, or Nancy Murphy at (203) 869-7463, The Conservancy is actively seeking an additional $10,000 to $20,000 which would enable us to drill enough test wells to do a thorough job of mapping and evaluating our Island's water supply for the first time. Solid Waste DisDosal: The Conservancy and the Civic Association have made a joint commitment to assist the Fishers Island Garbage and Refuse District by forming the Citizens Commillee on Garbage Disposal. Civic Association President Brad Burnham has stated that "This Committee's purpose is to review the subject with the Commissioners and report back to all three groups their recommendation for Garbage DisposaL" The Committee will assist the Commissioners with the preparation of a joint "White Paper on Garbage Disposal" which will be available to all residents of Fishers Island sometime in July. The Civic Association and the Conservancy will sponsor a general meeting in July which will be devoted solely to garbage disposal. In naming the following persons to the Committee, Brad Burnham and Conservancy President John Thatcher expressed their thanks to the Commissioners for the great jOb they are doing on a very difficult issue. Committee members are: Bobby Evans, Carey Matthiesen, Martha Fransson, Art Walsh, Alan Essenlohr, Steve Walter, and Michael Wray. The Conservancy has selected Project Management Associates, Inc. to perform a special study of solid waste disposal options for Fishers Island. When completed, the study will be made available to the Citizens Committee and the Commissioners of the Garbage and Refuse District. Ouestions fhe Conservancv has Received The Conservancy has received the following questions about the problem of solid waste disposal. In the space below we provide the best information we have as of this writing. Persons with additional questions should send them to the Conservancy, P.O. Box 553, Fishers Island, New York, 06390, and we will endeavor to provide information in future issues of this newsletter. Should Fishers Island Reouest Southold to Disoose of Fishers Island Garbaoe? An alternative which will be explored is the legal separation of Fishers Island from the Town of Southold for all matters concerning garbage disposal. The benefit of separating ourselves would be to limit the amount of Fishers Island property taxes which could be used by the Town of Southold to finance their proposed composting system. On the other hand, Fishers Island would then be totally responsible for its own solid waste disposal. As of this writing, a financial analysis of the per ton cost of going it alone versus staying with Southold has not been completed. Can We Really Ship our Garbaae out of New York State? Representatives of the Conservacy called the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and talked to their attorneys. The DEC told us that they would have no objection to Fishers Island entering into a S "f.elv' I;' "" . eIvw SSV'I3 ~SHI.!I I.e. ~j>l. t'\.. r"C-A-"- )J)j Obf90 A N 'QNV1ST S~3HSI~ >., SG':JVM:]:> A'll:! JI''':'' 1:j~~~,:~;~~~'~:i ~:... -- '-";) ~. ,---' " 06[90 )llIO}. NdN 'ONV1SI S1I3HSI~ g~ xog ._._-------:'. .. ) I '; .>1 ..,i . ~ ',:<1 ':)NI 'A:)NV A'M3:SNO:) GNV"lSI S'M3:HSI.-I contract with a regional, municipal, or private organization outside of New York State for the purpose of garbage disposal. The DEC does want the opportunity to review any proposed contract before it goes into effect. The benefit of such a contract for a period of 10 years, is that Fishers Island would gain future flexibility, and time to study future technical developments. Technological developments might lower the cost per ton and/or reduce emilled pollutants. Who Would take II? There is a lot of incineration capacity being proposed for the mainland. There could well be several opportunities for Fishers Island to obtain a contract for garbage disposal there. Whether or not the per ton cost would be lower, the same, or higher than the per ton cost of on-Island incineration has not yet been fully ana lysed. Does the Location of the Prooosed Incinerator Reauire anv Soecial Permits? The FAA has granted the necessary permit for the emissions stack, but limited its height to twelve feet. The DEC will carefully review the dispersion pallerns of the gases emilled from the stack, their probable composition, and the location of the ash disposal site for environmental safety. Won't the Emissions Simply Blow Away with the Wind? A twelve foot high stack may not be tall enough to allow maximum dispersion of pollutants inta the upper airflow. The prevailing breeze in the summer in from the southwest. We have a significant number af days in which the Island is largely fog-bound with only a very light breeze. The emissions can react chemically with the water in the fog to form heavy complex chemicals. There is a real possibility that any pollutants could follow the topographical contour from near the Parade Grounds all the way to the Fishers Island Club Golf Course and beyond. What About Pollution Control Devices? Pollution control devices are generally very expensive, and have to be replaced frequently no mailer how large the incinerator. They are customarily mounted on stacks at least 50' to 60' high. Because the proposed stack can only be 12' high, pollution control devices would probably not be as effective as we would like. A MeSS31!e from the President: As most readers are by now well aware, well-drilling crews will begin exploring and testing the previously unknown Fishers Island Aquifers in early April to find the sources, volume, extent, and quality of our Island-wide water supplies. Similarly, and at the urging of our membership, the Conservancy is now sponsoring a detailed study of the options for future solid waste disposal when the current landfill is closed in 1990. The study will evaluate and outline these alternatives from both economic and environmental standpoints. Lastly, the Conservancy also has commillees working on environmental input for the new Southold Master Plan, as well as wetland mapping projects, and the by now familiar summer program that monitors all the Island's harbors for signs and evidences of pollution. Needless to say, all this activity could not even be allempted without the active participation of our members, our commillees, and our directors. This President's Message is thus a heartfelt "Thank You" to all who have so willingly helped us. That our major projects are now getting underway is due largely to your efforts, your diligence, and above all to your generosity. From these contributions of both time and money, the whole Island will derive benefit, and our appreciation for your backing and support is very real indeed. Martha C. Fransson, Editor