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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1987 Vol 2 No 1 . RECEIVED FEB II 1987 Town Clerk Sout~nld , It! Phytlls V. SandI '!HE ANl'<<1AL M!El'llG The anrrual meeting of the Fishers Island Conservancy was held on lXtober 12, 1986. respite the fact that nunerous other groups were convening over the Colunbus fuy weekend, approxinately 60 individuals attended the meeting. '!his show of suprort was gratif~ to the Conservancy directors and indicates a high level of concern for enviroonental issues on the put of our members. Topics covered at the anrrual meeting :incluied caments on the Water Stu:ly by Bob Parsons, an upjate on Tributyltin (TBI') presented by Carey Mltthiessen, a discussion of the Parade Gromds Project by Jonathrn. Kibbe, and a review of the DEC Freshwater lletlands Regulations by Penni Eharp. Perhaps the JOOst important issue raised at the meeting was the need for a put-time Ehvironnental Officer on Fishers Island. Su::h an individual IIILlSt be qualified to assist with pmnit applicationS;ju:lge disp.rt:es, and give ecological advice on a wide range of topics. Clearly, all narrers are in agreement with respect to this issue, and it was resolved that the officers of the Fishers Island Conservancy be empowered toawroach the Town of Sout:hold and all relevant authorities on the hiring of a put-time environnentalist, qualified by the N,Y. State DEC, to be available romd on Fishers Island.,' It is important to stress that the Conservancy, as a private, ncn-profit organization, cannot directly hire sooeane to enforce state and local regulations. Su::h a person IIILlSt be employed by a b"vemoontal agency. lie nay be abl~ to assist with services, such as transportation to the island, and will cmtinue to j:Ul'sue this natter with state and local agencies. ' ..._ .~,. r . FISHERS ISLAND CONSERVANCY NEWSLETTER WINTER,1987 Volume II, Number 1 'IRI1l1I'ill'IN Over the past year, readers of the newsletter nay recall several brief references to a narlne-use ccrnpoml called Tributyltin (TBI'). '!his canpoml is COOIIDnly used as an anti-fouling bottan print on boats and, JOOre recently, as a wood preservative on lobster pots. At present, TBI' canpomds are legal to use and have been available for over J) years. Recently, it has @l deumstrated that TBI' has toxic effects upon DRrine organisns other than those that cause problems on boat bottans. The u.s. Ehvironnental Protection Agency has been reviewing a IllIIlber of the anitfoulant print prodocts 1:hat contain 1BT to determine their effects upon aquatic faunal ~es. The Conservancy has been involved with sane of the testing condtx:ted by EPA's RJode Island laboratory. Francis fuyen and his two sons provided invaluable assistance with the testing. The EPA stulies will be canpleted during the spring ;, of 1987, however preliminary results indicate that Tributlytin retards the growth rate of DllSsels. Another stuly has reported a high JOOrtality of Chinook salIOOn reared in 1BT soaked nets. Several environnental leaders have recClllOOllded a ban on this predoct, and it is presently outlawed in several EUropean comtries. fused upon the result of these and other stulies, the Conservancy considers 1BT an extremely dangerous prodoct and strongly recCIIIOOllds that Fishers Island lobstermen and boat owners no longer use this substance I>bich poses a serious threat to our narine environnent. . .' . 'lJi.Sl'll{l FCR IUDJI'ICN , The Conservancy bas recently undertaken a sampling progniin of all Fishers Island harbors for bacterial and hydrocarbon pollution. ~ginning in. CXotober of 1986, Ed fuming and his carmittee have conducted three series of tests on three different dates for rnlifonn bacteria. This program was initiated following a nunber inquiries fran our umbers regarding the overall condition of the harbors. Several expressed concern that Island waters were becooring polluted. Another impetus for the testing was the 1985 sttrly cooducted by the U. S. Public Health Service (FDA) of the shellfish gro,;:ing waters on the south shoreline of Fishers Island. Although this sttrly conclu:led that lIIlSt of the waters around Fishers Island have excellent water quality, three areas showed elevated colifonn levels. Of these, two point sources were, identified: the outfall pipe at Silver Eel Cove and the stonn drain near the /obbil fuel dock at West Harbor. ~/~,,'."" (~ ---- .-./ - The situation at Silver Eel Cove has since been corrected; hoI.ever, the point source at West Harbor haE not yet been traced. This task is OEde lIIlre difficUlt due to the fact that the stonn drain outfall is below the low water nark and authorities are unsure as to the exact location that the drain enters the harbor. The testing perf onned by the Conservancy bas shown all of the harbors to be free fran pollution with the exception of West Harbor. The Conservancy is working with Town officials to address the pollution problem. It is of SClOO urgency to do so as the pollution is in close proximity to the beach used by the Island People I s Project. We will continue to test the waters on a regUlar basis to de~::'Une if the pollution is a seasonal or ongoing j:henarenon. We expect that corrective action will be possible by mid-spring. "" "'-' . WA'J1iR cx:N5ERVATICN In the northeast, "" seem to have either too much or too little rainfall. For example, during the winter and spring of 1986, drought conditions prevailed, yet the srnrner brought abundant rains. The water level in Fishers Island's reservoirs is very high at present, yet none of us can predict future weather plttems. With surface water systems, recharge of the supply is largely dependent upon rainfall. Surface supplies nay also be recharged by groundwater, but the extent of this is difficUlt to detennine. We hope that the Water Study will give us a clearer understanding of the water resources of Fishers Island. MAKE EACH DROP COUNT ~ Wa~ei' is essential to life and is a critical resource. This is plrtictilar ly true on an island .nere the supply is finite. For these reasons, The Conservancy feels that it is important to conserve water even during tines .nen the supply seems plentifUl. We urge each resident to examine his or her present habits with respect to water use and to avoid wastefUl practices. We offer the following guidelines for conserving this important resource. For example, 40% of household water is flushed down the toilet. Therefore, don'tuse the toilet as a wastebasket. Check for leakage by adding sare food coloring into the tank. If it appears in the bowl without' flushing, you have a leak which shoUld be replired.. Consider installing water saving devices. A simple one consists of a half gallon plastic jug filled with stones and placed in the tank. "".,:>~, _ ""'.".:f . i.'Ibe. second '1aTgest use of household water .. occurs lfith other bathroon appliances. The sinK'; shower and bathtub account for J1fo of' ... ........ t!1e wat<:r used. To reduce water usethout sacrificing cleanliness, several steps can be taken. J:'irst, check all faucets for leaks and rerair them, if necessary. Flow restrictors for "shower heads can be prn'chased at any hardware store' and are inexrensi ve and easy to install. fun 't run the water while brushing your teeth or shaving. Ilhen filling a tub, close the stopper first; don 't run the water down the drain while waiting for hot water. The washing of clothes accounts for 15% of our water consunption. Scire J) to 00 gallons are required per load. Be sure that .hat you are washing needs to be cleaned and adjust the water level to the lowest setting possible for the load. Few of us are aware of wasteful water use in the kitchen. ~bst JOOdem dishwashers do not require pre-washing. Try to run full loads. For dishes washed by hand, use of a snall plastic tub is better than filling a large sink with water. You are the best juJge of your current water usage and can probably think of a nl1Ilber of ways to improve your practices. Write up a list of ways to conserve water and post it in bathrooms and the kitchen. Savings in water use translates to dollar savings in lowered energy cost. Remember, water conservation begins at heme! 'IIIE WAn'R SlUllf (he of the goals of the Conservancy is to see that a detailed study of the Fishers Island ,aquifer is coo:lucted. This past fall, the Conservancy undertook a survey of the lmown wells on the Is~ ,,,d. These include six relatively shallow dug wells and thirty--nine drilled wells. Q.Iestion- mire: "re nailed to well owners inquiring as to the age of the well, its depth and yield. The coomittee, headed by Nancy I1n1hY and Bob Parsons, wishes to thank all the respondents to the question- .,- "" - ., naires. The res. have been srnL'\mat dis- appointing in that well owners were able to provide any detailed infonmtion. This is not totally surprising as record keeping I1RY not have been a priority at the t:irne that I1RnY of these wells were dug. If anyone has infonmtion re~ a well or has a well and was not contacted, please notify the Water Camri.ttee of the Conservancy. We had hoped to start defining the aquifer based upon this well data. In all likelihood, it will be necessary to drill test wells on the Island in order to I1Rp the aquifer and conduct a meaningful study of the underground water supply. Ch a roore posi ti ve note, the Board of Town Trustees recently adopted a resolution petitioning the Southold Town Board ".... to undertake a study of the Fishers Island Aquifer system and to impose Conservation measures restricting the non-potable usage of said mrshes .hen necessary." This roove is a direct result of efforts J1Rde by the Conservancy towards the initiation' of the ,water study of the island. .. . \,,' , We have contacted the' Town Board urging their support of the Trustees I resolution and have offered our assistance and financial resources in accordance with our charter. We will report on the progress of this I1Rtter in future newsletters. ~~~ ---- 'IIIE FIffiERS ISlAND CXNSI'RVAK:Y BlI\RIl (Ii' l111llil;ItH::i Jdm Thatcher, President Natalie Rafferty, Vice President l1lry Wood, Secretary Louise fuyen, Treasurer Reynolds DuPont, Jr. Edwin fuming (XH.fI.TJDS WATER CCMillTEE Nancy MurJ:hy Robert Parsons NElI1SIEITER CCMillTEE Penelope 9Jarp . ,