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Nassau and Suffolk
Prepared b . .
New York�'•
long Island Regional Planning Board
_, r-
SPECIAL GROUNDWATER PROTECTION AREA PROJECT
Lee E. Koppelman
Project Director
1991
LONG ISLAND REGIONAL PLANNING BOARD
L4
LONG ISLAND REGIONAL PLANNING BOARD
Morton Certilman, Esq. John J. Hart, Esq.
Chairman Vice Chairman
Dr. Frank Cipriani
Or. Carl L. Figliola
John Wickham
Joseph P. Famighetti, Esq.
Dr. Lee E. Koppelman
Executive Director
• N-0
Ex Officio
Ludwig Hasl _
Commissioner
Department of Public Works
Peter King
Comptroller
SUFFOLK COUNTY
Joseph Hurley
Commissioner
Department of Public Works
Joseph Caputo
Comptroller
Honorable Thomas S. Gulotta Honorable Patrick C. Halpin
County Executive County Executive
Honorable Joseph N. Mondello Honorable Donald Blydenburgh
Presiding Supervisor Presiding Officer
County Board of Supervisors County Legislature
County Coordination
Jack Follis
Deputy Director
County Planning Commission
I
Arthur Kunz
Director
County Planning Departoaent
ADVISORY GROUP PARTICIPATION
CAt the beginning of the study in 1988, a Regional Advisory
Group to the study was created. Volunteers from municipaiities,
agencies and major environmental groups were invited to participate
on a continuing basis to review the material that would eventually
result in a special groundwater area protection plan. The major
participants were the local towns, County Health Departments,
Cooperative Extension agencies, State Department of Environmental
Conservation, State Legislative Commission on Water Resources,
Suffolk County Water Authority and U. S. Geological Survey. Once
the Advisory Group was organized, meetings were held on a monthly
basis between 1988 and 1991 in order to review the various phases
of work.
During the course of the study, presentations were made by the
Nassau and Suffolk Health Departments, the Cornell Cooperative
Extension Associations from both Counties, the United States
Geological Survey and the Brookhaven National Laboratory. All of
the information was reviewed by the Committee has been incorporated
into the final report.
In addition to agency presentations, most meetings,.contained
a summary of work that was done by the staff of the Regional
Planning Board so that the members had some idea of the basic
research, environmental findings and preliminary plan
recommendations.
While the technical work of the plan was underway, the
Committee evaluated proposed legislation and how it might affect
groundwater, and the types of legislation that might be necessary
to implement the special groundwater study. In addition, the
IAV -
Committee also reviewed ongoing issues in the two County area that
would have a current effect on the areas designated for groundwater
protection. Following is a listing of the Advisory Council
participants.
SGPA Advisory Council Voting Members
Ic Name Organization
Aldo Andreoli, P. E. - Suffolk County Dept. of Health
Services
Joseph H. Baier, P. E. - Suffolk County Dept. of Health
Services
Stuart Buckner, Ph. D. - Town of Islip Dept. of
Environmental Control
Philip Barbato, P. E. - New York State Dept. of
Environmental Conservation
Rhoda Becker - Town of North Hempstead Dept.
of Planning
Russell Barnett - Town of Smithtown Dept. of
Environmental Control
Theodore B. Burger, - Nassau County Dept. of Health
P. E., Ph. D.
Michael E. Burke, P. E.
- New York State Dept. of Health
Maria Cinque
(C
- Cornell Cooperative Extension -
Nassau County
Richard W. Hanley
- Town of Riverhead Dept. of
Planning
Nancy Nagle Kelley,
- Group for the South Fork
A. I. C. P.
Joan Kesner
- Town of Oyster Bay
Lisa M. Liquori,
- Town of East Hampton Planning
A. I. C. P.
Dept.
Michael Litwa
- Town of Babylon Dept. of
Environmental Control
Sarah J. Meyland
- Citizens Campaign for the
Environment
James Mulligan, P. E.
- Nassau County Dept. of Public
Works
Margo S. Myles
- Town of Huntington Dept. of
Planning
George Proios
Edward J. Rosavitch,
P. E.
William J. Sanok
Valerie Scopaz
David A. Stern
Carole S. Swick,
Thomas Thorsen
Vincent L. Vario
Andrew Walker
New York State Legislative Comm.
on Water Resource Needs of
Long Island
- Suffolk County Water Authority
- Cornell Cooperative Extension -
Suffolk County
- Town of S.outhold Planning Board
- New York State Legislative Comm.
on Water Resource Needs of
Long Island
- Town of Brookhaven Dept. of
Planning, Environment &
Development
- Town of Southampton Planning
Department
- Nassau County Planning
Commission
- Nature Conservancy
SGPA Advisory
Council Non -Voting Participants*
Name
Organization
Bridget M. Balog
- Citizens Campaign for the
Environment
Steven Biasetti
- Group for the South Fork
Don Bingham
- Untied States Geological Survey
Elsa Brunn
- Town of Islip Dept. of
Environmental Control
Steven V. Cary, P. E.
- Suffolk County Dept. of Health
Services
Ray Corwin
- Suffolk County Water Authority
Brian Culhane
- New York State Legislative Comm.
on Water Resource Needs of
Long Island
S. Robert Dassler
- Suffolk County Water Authority
John W. Follis, Jr.
- Nassau County Planning
Commission
Judy Foy
- New York State Legislative Comm.
on Water Resource Needs of
Long Island
Jeffrey Fullmer
- Citizens Campaign for the
Environment
Penny Hadgeoff
- Town of Babylon Dept. of
Environment Control
Darrell Kost
- New York State Dept. of
Transportation
Amy Knutson
- Town of Smithtown Dept. of
Environmental Protection
Margaret Lloyd
- Nassau County Soil and Water
Conservation District
Mark Maimone, P. E.
- Nassau County Dept. of Public
Works
Mark S. McDonald
- McDonald Geoscience
Steve McGinn
- Town of Huntington Planning
Dept.
Maryellen McNicholas - New York State Legislative Comm.
on Water Resource Needs of
Long Island
David Newton - Cornell Cooperative Extension
Suffolk County
Ed Oaksford - United States Geological Survey
Ruth Oliva - Town of Southold, Councilwoman
Jed Pomerantz - Long Island Association
Keven Quinn - Town of North Hempstead Planning
Department
Tom Reamon - New York State Dept. of Health
Keven J. Roberts - Suffolk County Dept. of Health
'Services
Patricia A.
Roth-MacIntyre - New York State Dept. of -Health
William H. Spitz - New York State Dept. of -
Environmental Conservation
Robert Villa, P. E. - Suffolk County dept. of Health
Services
Jeanne Waters - Huntington Farmlands Association
*This list includes those individuals that attended five or more
Council meetings.
4
FT-rqr--,,
Table of Contents
3
Preface
The single unifying environmental element in all comprehensive
planning work carried out over the past three decades on Long
Island is that of groundwater. Nassau and Suffolk Counties are
indeed an island totally isolated from any external source of water
importation, except for the purchase of bottled water. There are
no underground rivers emanating from New England that move
subterraneously under Long Island Sound to miraculously surface at
Lake Ronkonkoma. There are no distribution tunnels and pipelines
that can transport New York City water to the two counties. Nor
for that matter is there New York City water. The City imports
almost all of its water from upstate sources whose quantity often
come perilously close to crisis shortage in times of drought.
There are no snow-capped mountains on Long Island that provide
swollen rivers with spring waters. The so-called rivers and
streams in the two counties are merely surface manifestations of
exposed groundwater.
Rainfall and that portion of the rain that permeates the
ground in significant quantity is the sole source of drinking or
potable water. Perhaps the water regime is the greatest single
factor in making the Island one of the finest natural settings for
human settlement. For more than ten millennia the water cycle,
which is impressive in its simplicity, has provided a renewable
resource that has sustained the flora and fauna since the recession
of the last glacier period— - Rain falls, and a portion of it
permeates the ground -to be absorbed in the root systems of grasses,
i
shrubs and trees that provide shelter and food for animal life.
The plant life contributes to air chemistry in the carbon
dioxide/oxygen cycle, and in moisture transpired through its
foliage. water vapor from plants, combined with the general
evaporation of surface waters, both fresh and saline, contributes
to the formation of new rain clouds. 'A significant portion of
surface and underground water finds its way to the marine waters
of Long Island Sound and to the various bays providing a mixing of
saline ocean waters with fresh water and enabling a healthy
shellfish population to thrive and fostering the growth of marsh
grasses that serve as spawning habitats for fish and shellfish.
The combination of rainfall, soils and moderate climate provide the
mix on which farming and fishing sustain the framework for human
existence.
Whatever occurs in the course of building towns, villages and
hamlets, we rarely change the basic water cycle, from a quantity
point of view. we can and have, however, changed the relationships
between the components of the cycle -- often in a dramatic and
damaging way. construction and paving can remove permeable ground
thereby reducing recharge in those areas. The installation and use
of recharge basins can offset the recharge losses due to the
removal of permeable surfaces. Overpumpage of potable water in
near shore areas can accelerate salt -water intrusion. construction
of sewage treatment plants and the discharge of sewage effluent
water into the Ocean or Sound can reduce the quantity that could
have been recharged thereby changing the quantity of groundwater
and its level. A most obvious and immediate consequence is the
lowering of water levels in surface streams with accompanying
degradation of the surface water dependent wetland ecosystem. And
r so the simplicity of the generalized water cycle in terms of its
symmetry is in reality exceedingly complex when impacted by the
perturbations of human activity. These impacts affect quantity as
defined by the term "safe yield" meaning how much water can be
withdrawn before negative trends occur. These impacts also affect
the quality of groundwater as measured by a variety of standards.
An early concern for Long Islands' aquifer yield was expressed
in a report of a study conducted by -Russell Suter in which he
assessed the problems of overpumping in Brooklyn and ;Queens and
its impact on the supply needs of New York City. He concluded that
portions of the Long Island aquifers should be restored through the
curtailment of all commercial and industrial pumping in the two
Boroughs, and that use of the Nassau and Suffolk portions of the
aquifers should continue at least until New York City could begin
to tap the Delaware aqueduct from the Roundout reservoir.1
As the area was transformed after World War II, from sparsely
settled to the fastest growing suburban counties in the country
between 1945 and 1960, increasingly aware of the importance of
groundwater, hydrologists and engineers became active in Long
Island groundwater research. Nassau County initiated a=three part
Suter, Russell, Engineering Report on the Water Supplies of
Lona Island, Bulletin GW -2, State of New York Department of
Conservation; Water Power and Control Commission.
iii
study - of its water resources in 1956,-2 followed by two Suffolk
County studies in 1957. During the twenty year period following
this limited beginning, there has been an explosion of Long Island
�
water quantity and water quality research projects and studies
carried out at every level of Long Island government. Appendix
A-1 contains a bibliographic listing of many of these reports.
Colonel Wiggin attempted to address the issue of water
quantity. His seminal study in 1957 estimated the percentage of
water available for recharge into the ground based on annual
rainfall data after discounting losses due to runoff and other
factors.3 His elementary approach concluded that Suffolk County
had a sufficient quantity of water to support a population of
approximately three million people.
During this same time period the County of Suffolk retained
an engineering firm to address the growing problem of highway
flooding.4 Although the origin and intent of the study was
oriented to transportation, the consultants recognized that a major
component of drainage control was tied to watershed management.
2 Greeley and Hansen, Report on Water Resources; Parts I, II,
and III, Nassau County, N.Y., August 1956, November 1956, December
1958.
3 Wiggin, Col. Thomas H. Report on a Comprehensive Plan For
The Development And Distribution of The Available Water Supply of
Suffolk County, L.I., N.Y., Suffolk County, N.Y., Suffolk County
Water Authority, January 1957.
4 Nussbaumer, Clarke & Velzy, Report on Drainage Study,
Suffolk County Planning Board., July 1957.
(A
iv t
Among the firm's recommendations was a proposal that -the County
acquire 16,000 acres of land encompassing the four river valleys,
Nissequogue, Connetquot, Peconic, and Carmen's in order to protect
against encroachment by private interests. The report pointed out
that,
A large volume of rainfall is caught and
returned to the water table in an efficient and
inexpensive way. Rainfall is the County's
only source of water supply.5
Nothing happened until 1960, nearly two years after the voters
had opted by referendum in 1958 to change the form of Suffolk's
government from a Hoard of Supervisors into a charter county headed
by a County Executive and to change the Planning Hoard into a
Planning Commission with new powers added to its existing advisory
functions. The first study undertaken dealt with parks.6 Suffolk
Chad taken over the dubious distinction of being the"fastest
growing county in the United States" from Nassau County and was
faced with the entire array of urban and rural planning problems,
e.g., the need for health, education and governmental facilities
and programs, inadequate transportation capacity, migrant labor and
slum housing conditions, inadequate job availability, etc. Any one
of these topics could have justifiably been given preference. Open
space was selected in recognition of the impact that development
was having in transforming natural lands into built-up communities,
5 Ibid., p. 47.
6 Leonard and Koppelman, People and Parks, Hauppauge, N.Y.,
Suffolk County Planning Commission, October 1960.
v
and that if steps were not taken -to bring development into harmony
with environmental needs, the future quality of existence would be
seriously impaired.
n repeated the 1957 recommendation
The section on conservatio
to save the four river watersheds observing that significant
encroachment had occurred between 1957 and 1960. One of the
factors cited was water conservation.
The knowledge that Robert Moses intended to place a
referendum on the statewide ballot calling for the creation of a
$75 million bond issue for the purchase of park lands provided a
second important impetus for concentrating on open space.7 H. Lee
Dennison, Suffolk County's first County Executive was a close
friend of Moses and was informed of his intentions before the issue
was under consideration by the New York State Legislature. In
fact, Moses assigned a key member of his staff on the Long Island
Park Commission to work closely with the director of the Suffolk
County Planning Commission, and suggested that Suffolk would
receive at least $3 million of the $25 million that would be
allocated to the 57 counties of the state, or 12 1/2 per cent. The
successful vote in November 1960 launched Suffolk County's open
space program well beyond the modest expenditures the county itself
was making. The first purchases were in the Peconic River
watershed. A fuller history and discussion of open space planning
7 Article 16-C Park and Recreation Land Acquisition Act
Sections 875-885, McKinney's Consolidated Laws of New York Book 10,
Conservation Law.
vi
B Koppelman, et al., The Lona Island Comprehensive Open Space
Plan., Hauppauge, N.Y., Long Island Regional Planning Commission,
1991.
9 The State grant was made possible by funds allocated under
Article 5, Part V-A of the Conservation Law.
10Holzmacher, McLendon, & Murrell, Report -Comprehensive Public
Water Supply Study, Suffolk County, New York CPWS-24, in 3 volumes,
Suffolk County, N.Y.
Vii
is the subject of a separate volume in the Comprehensive Plan
Series entitled The Lona Island Comprehensive Open Space PlanB
Regional interest in drinking water was translated into
political action in large measure as the result of a heavy drought
in the northeast during the early and mid years of the 1960s. New
York City relying almost entirely on upstate sources was concerned
with dwindling water levels in its reservoirs; Long Islanders not
actually experiencing drinking water shortages were nevertheless
becoming increasingly aware of water issues. Suffolk County
allocated $800,000 for a test well program to gain a greater
understanding of the underground aquifers.' This program was
combined with a $340,000 grant from the New York State Health
Department to enable the County to have consultants prepare a
comprehensive plan for the best utilization of the fresh water
resources.9 The study was undertaken during the latter half of the
1960s and released in three Volumes between 1968 and 1970.10 A
viscous fluid model was developed at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology to enable the consultants to have a stronger
predictive capability than provided at the time by the United
States Geological Survey's electrical analog model. The major
B Koppelman, et al., The Lona Island Comprehensive Open Space
Plan., Hauppauge, N.Y., Long Island Regional Planning Commission,
1991.
9 The State grant was made possible by funds allocated under
Article 5, Part V-A of the Conservation Law.
10Holzmacher, McLendon, & Murrell, Report -Comprehensive Public
Water Supply Study, Suffolk County, New York CPWS-24, in 3 volumes,
Suffolk County, N.Y.
Vii
conclusions regarding water quantity reinforced those of the Wiggin
study, pointing out that continued and expanded ocean discharge of
sewage effluent would reduce the level of surface waters even
though Suffolk could rely on a "safe yield" for a population in
excess of 3 million people. The report also examined a range of
water quality issues, such as salt water intrusion, heavy metals
and other toxic contaminants and the need for advanced water
treatment if effluent was to be recharged instead of discharged to
marine waters.
This work was carried out in tandem with the participation of
the Nassau -Suffolk Regional Planning Board (now titled the Long
Island Regional Planning Board, LIRPB), which between 1965 and
1970, was in process of developing Long Island's first
comprehensive plan."
One of the first issues confronting the planners was the
,number of people the two counties should accommodate by 1985-1990,
the end of the planning period. This was not an abstract or
rhetorical question. It lies at the heart of the entire process.
Since there are obvious limits to growth; economic, ecological-,
geographical, political, social, etc., what should be used as the
guide? The two counties encompass four times the land area -of New
ii
York City. A continuation of the Brooklyn -Queens development
pattern, which was already occurring in the Town of Hempstead,
11 Koppelman, et al., The Nassau -Suffolk Comprehensive
Development Plan, Hauppauge, N.Y., Nassau -Suffolk Regional Planning
Board, 1970.
A
could have resulted eventually in a population of 10 -million
people. Unthinkable! An examination of the limits to growth based
on job development was no more useful. These two fastest growing
counties seemed to have an almost boundless capacity to create jobs
and thus attract new residents. The only limits that could be
quantified in any rational manner was the carrying capacity of Long
Island as constrained by available potable water. Nassau County,
which is approximately the same size as the five boroughs that make
up New York City (300 square miles), had a population in excess of'
one million people and was experiencing a series of water problems
including salt water intrusion from overpumping in the southwest,
depletion of surface waters, such as Hempstead Lake, resulting from
ocean discharge of sewage effluent, or closure of public wells due
to contamination. 'In short, Nassau County appeared to be near or
at the carrying capacity of the natural regime. It must be
understood, however, that it is important to differentiate between
carrying capacity based solely on water supply, in contrast with
other environmental considerations pertaining to stream corridor
and/or wetlands protection. Surface water depletion is not a
measure of adequate quantity or "safe yield" of drinking water.
It is an indicator of a much broader range of water related
problems.
By 1970, Nassau County reached a population of 1.4 million,
which has decreased over the past 20 years. Concurrent with the
rapid growth of the County, various communities established
independent water systems to meet the needs of the residents. Due
ix
E7
to the individualized political communities that developed over
several decades, coupled to the nature of the groundwater system,
the County has 51 major public water systems, with a total of 400
supply wells. These separate systems provide adequate delivery of
high quality water to their consumers, but the ability to provide
water to adjacent areas is severely limited to short-term
emergencies. The transfer of large quantities of water on an
intra -County basis is constrained by the capacity of the
interconnection system.
The Nassau County Department of Public Works (NCDPW) is
currently addressing the issues of streamflow and saltwater
intrusion that may require changes in the water systems in order
to provide workable solutions to the existing limitations.
In 1986, NYSDEC began imposing pumpage limitations on some
water purveyors in Nassau County. This was undertaken upon
recognition that consumptive use of groundwater was causing
conditions such as stream flow decline, (with some stream segments
and wetlands drying up), aquifer water level declines, and
saltwater intrusion in Nassau County. The imposition of pumpage
limitations, while potentially a stop -gap measure, came only after
the documented loss of important surface and groundwater resources.
However, the State action and the perceptions it created must
be placed in a proper perspective. For example, saltwater
intrusion is not a major problem, since it has not affected public
water supply wells. The main concern over saltwater intrusion is
in the southern coastline of the County where the deep ocean
x
M
saltwater pressure is greater than the inland freshwater pressure,
thereby creating the condition for saltwater intrusion. Along this
coastline, the movement inland of salty groundwater is relatively
slow, almost stationary in most places. According to the United
States Geological Survey (USGS), in a comprehensive study in the
mid 1960's of this phenomena, the position and alignment of the
saltwater/freshwater interface in southern Nassau County is
attributable mainly to natural conditions that prevailed long
before the start of groundwater development in this area. In fact,
it is mainly due to the sea level rise of 300 feet during the past
16,000 years. Verification of these USES findings has been
documented by the County itself through the use of its highly
complex three-dimensional computerized groundwater model which
simulates the saltwater intrusion phenomena. By using this same
model, the County is in the process of investigating measures that
can be 'taken to minimize saltwater intrusion in order to protect
the public water supply wells.
The previous decline of the Nassau County water table due to
increased consumptive use associated with urban growth and sewering
decreased the available groundwater to feed surface water streams,
lakes and ponds. The current equilibrium level should remain
stable due to important conservation programs instituted by the
State, the County, and local water purveyors since 1987. Public
pumpage has been reduced by over 20 million gallons from almost 190
to approximately 168 million gallons per day. NCDPW is also using
its three-dimensional computerized groundwater model to identify
other cost-effective measures that could be taken to restore
freshwater wetlands along stream corridors and minimize the threat
of saltwater intrusion to public water supply wells.
Suffolk County, in contrast, is three times larger than Nassau
County and all estimates have indicated a safe yield for a Suffolk
population of 3.5 million people. 12
The legal limit to population as expressed .by zoning would have
allowed a combined population in the two counties of more than 6
million people. obviously, a dangerous mismatch existed between
allowable practice and sound environmental planning. The planning
target became clear and inescapable. The population must not be
allowed to exceed the carrying capacity of the aquifers.
Initially, that would have meant a maximum population of 4.5 - 5
million (3.5 million people for Suffolk and a maximum 'of 1.5
million for Nassau). However, this number did not take sufficient
account of the fact that any increase in water contamination would
mean an effective loss in quantity, or major expenditures for
treatment. Arbitrarily, the LIRPB set a maximum population for the
two counties at a range of 2.5 million to 3 million. 13 The decision
was based on a simple application of the engineering concept of
'factor of safety.' The Board notified the various municipalities
even prior to the final completion of the comprehensive plan that
they should bring their zoning into compliance with this concept
12 Holzmacher, McLendon & Murrell, pp. 358-373
13 Ibid, Comprehensive Development Plan Series: Population
xii
of water limits. A variety of parallel concerns; rising taxes,
loss of open space, negative attitudes of residents toward
continuing suburbanization, growing environmental awareness, among
others, -- now reinforced by the apparent potential crisis in water
created the political climate necessary to create a movement for
major upzpnings, mainly in Suffolk County.
After the release of the bi-county plan in the early 1970s,
the planning staff made almost 300 presentations of the plan to
civic, environmental, business, and governmental audiences in order
to gain the widest understanding and support for the plan's
recommendations. The single greatest response to any of the
substantive elements contained in the plan -- other than the
controversies over the housing portion -- was the deep-felt need
to more fully examine the quality aspect of Long Island's
groundwater.
The enactment of the amendments to the Federal Water Pollution
Control Act of 197214 was most timely in providing the means for
Long Island to further augment its knowledge of the aquifer system.
The Act set new goals for water quality by stating as national
purpose that the surface waters of the nation shall be swimmable,
and the fresh water supplies drinkable by 1980. Section 208 of
this Act authorized funds for planning grants for states and/or
areawide regional planning agencies to undertake research and to
develop comprehensive water quality management programs. Although
14 PL 92-500
xiii
President Nixon tried to embargo funds for the Act, he finally
relented in
1974 after
threats of.,litigatioh
by
the
Congress.
Long
Island was
one of the
first areas designated
in
the
New York
State
to receive a 11208" grant and commenced work on the project in 1975
which was completed in 1978.15
This plan accomplished more than the basic requirements of the
Act. It helped to build a broad based constituency and led to
several significant actions. The findings of the study led the
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to designate
Nassau and Suffolk County's groundwater as a 'Sole Source Aquifer'
pursuant to The Safe Drinking Water Act. The New York State
Legislature, responding to the urgency for legislative action as
recommended in the plan, created The New York State .Legislative
Commission on Water Resource Needs of Long Island to address these
needs.
The 11208" plan introduced the concept of hydrogeologic zones
based upon differences in groundwater flow patterns and related
water quality. In essence, there are two types of zones. One
includes the land areas that contribute recharge to the deep
aquifers. The other includes the land areas that contribute
shallow recharge or transmit recharge flows to surface waters.
Eight hydrogeologic zones were defined to more specifically
describe differences of quality recharge or discharge within the
15 Koppelman, et al., Long Island Comprehensive Waste Treatment
Management Plan, Vol. I & II, Hauppauge, N.Y., Long Island Regional
Planning Board, July 1978.
two broad categories.
The zonal approach made clear for the first time the need for
different protection criteria and approaches for the various
differences in Long Island°s overall aquifer system.
Viral and organic contaminant research indicated the purity
and freedom from viral infection of most of the groundwaters; and
conversely, the almost ubiquitous presence and contamination of
surface and upper glacial aquifer sources from trace quantities of
organics - many of which are -potentially carcinogenic.
EPA satisfaction in the work was expressed by the award of
unsolicited funds to undertake two additional research projects.
The first was the implementation of 208 recommendations and, among
other activities, the creation of a Nonpoint Management Handbook
to guide local governments in achieving the objectives of the 11208"
plan. 16 The second was the inclusion of the two counties in the
Nationwide Urban Runoff Program. 17 The Long Island region was among
the first nineteen areas selected throughout the United States to
address the role of stormwater,non-point runoff as a major
contributor to water quality.98 It was an attempt to improve the
adequacy of information concerning pollutant sources, areal
` accumulation patterns, washoff and transport mechanisms, instream
16 Koppelman, L.E.; Tanenbaum, E., and Swick,. C., Nonpoint
Source Management Handbook, L.I.R.P.B., Hauppauge, N.Y., 1984
17 PL 95-217, An amendment to the Clean Waters Act.
18 Koppelman, L.E., and Tanenbaum, E., et al., The Long Island
Segment of the Nationwide Urban Runoff Program, Hauppauge, N.Y.,
Long Island Regional Planning Board, December 1982.
xv
behavior of pollutants and control measure effectiveness. 19
Much of the deep recharge area in Nassau and western Suffolk k-
was already suburbanized by 1982 and the impact of development on
the aquifer was clearly apparent. Only two areas in Nassau and
seven in Suffolk remained relatively free of these impacts. New
York State °s Long Island Groundwater Management Program and the
LIRPB Is Nonpoint Source Handbook identified these nine areas as
Special Groundwater Protection Areas (SGPAs) and called for the
development of new management programs to ensure the preservation
of the existing water quality and the continued recharge of
uncontaminated water to these portions of the aquifer.
Further amendments to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act
earmarked five percent of each State's sewage treatment plant
construction grants for planning purposes .20 New York State DEC
provided funds to the LIRPB, matched equally by the LIRPB to
undertake a pilot study of two of the nine SGPAs. 21 It was a pilot
study in several ways. First, there were not sufficient funds to
undertake the study of all nine SGPAs. Second, this was another
new area of planning and hydrogeological inquiry and a pilot
approach would demonstrate the relative success of such work.
19 Water Planning Division, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, 1978. 1978-1983 Work Plan for the Nationwide Urban Runoff
Program, Water Planning Division, U.S.E.P.A., Washington, D.C.
20 (Pt 97-117), Section 205J), 1981.
21 koppelman, L.E., Tanenbaum, E., and Swick, C.; Special
Ground -water Protection Area Project for the Oyster Bay and
Brookhaven Pilot Areas, Hauppauge, N.Y., L.I.R.P.B., 1986,
Third, there was the expectation that if the study proved
successful and useful, additional funding would be made available
by the Federal government and/or the State of New York.
Several efforts made by Congressman Downey with support from
other members of the Long Island Congressional delegation to have
funds included in the 1986 Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments to
expand the LIRPB's work on SGPAs were unsuccessful.
The LIRPB also sought support from the N.Y.S. Legislative
Commission on Water Resource Needs of Long Island. The Commission,
which had been consistently supportive of SGPA work from the
beginning, introduced several versions of the Sole Source Aquifer
bill during the 1984, 1985, and 1986 Legislative sessions.
Finally, the Legislature acted positively in 1987 due in large
{ measure to Senator Caesar Truhto's and Assemblyman I. William
® Bianchi's unflagging efforts.22 This report is the result of that
effort.
The environmental predicament confronting Long Island is that
the development potential, including the inescapable modifications
to the environment, has and continues to occur more rapidly than
our ability to foresee or deal with the ultimate effects of such
activities.
Until
a better
match is achieved, prudence
would mandate
that
when in
doubt,
environmental values take
precedence
over
22 (Ch. 628 of the Laws of 1987, Article 55 of Environmental
Conservation Law. Note: Assemblywoman May Neuburger co-chaired
the Commission from 1981-1987; Assemblyman I. William Bianchi co-
chaired the Commission from 1987-1989.
xvii
development -® particularly when the development would cause or
contribute to an irreversible condition. Thus rational
comprehensive environmental planning must accomplish more than the
prevention or correction of known environmental problems. Somehow,
planning must strive to take into account the unexpected and
provide for latent consequences. The preservation, maintenance,
and enhancement of compatible environmental diversity must be the
objective of planning.
March 15, 1991
Lee E. Koppelman
xviii t
Importance of the Deep Aquifer Recharge Areas
There are three major aquifers or saturated water -bearing sand
stratas underlying the ground surface of Long Island that supply
high quality potable water for the more than 2.7 million people of
Nassau and Suffolk Counties. They are the Glacial, Magothy and
Lloyd aquifers. They are composed of unconsolidated materials,
generally sands and gravels. The Upper Glacial and Magothy
aquifers are the primary sources of potable water. The Lloyd
aquifer, located directly over the bedrock, is the deepest,
contains the oldest water, is used in only a few locations, and is
absent in both the North and South Forks of the Island.
Approximately one-half of the annual rainfall permeates the
aquifers as direct recharge. Rainfall entering the Glacial moves
horizontally and vertically as groundwater flow. Some of this
rainfall picks up inorganic and organic contaminants as it washes
over the land surface before permeating the ground. The impact on
the quality of the aquifers from these point and non -point sources
and from point source discharges to groundwater varies throughout
the Island. There is, however, a direct correlation between the
intensity of human development and activities and resultant water
degradation.
In conjunction with this study the Water Resources Division
of the United States Department of the Interior's Geological Survey
(USGS) undertook a cooperative project to model and assess the
impacts on the quality of the shallow groundwater aquifer resulting
from a variety of activities and uses. This work is the beginning
1
of a process to improve predictive capabilities of the potential
impacts of future development within SGPAs. Although preliminary
in nature and therefore not sufficiently definitive to enable
planners and water managers to derive verifiable standards, the
USGS model does clearly establish a direct linkage between human
activities and the impact on the shallow aquifer. The linkage is
all directly proportional to the intensity of human use. In short,
the more development that occurs, the greater the impact. 23 This
issue is discussed again in Chapter 2 in the segment on zoning.
The 11208" plan utilized more than 1000 test wells throughout
the two counties to assess the relative quality of the aquifers and
discovered that the Upper Glacial regime was already impacted by
organic contamination and nitrates in many areas. The Magothy
however was generally of high potable quality and is the prime
source of dependable, safe drinking water. The four deep recharge
areas that transmit the majority of recharge to this aquifer cover
most of the interior portions of the Island. Three of them occupy
the central portion of the Island extending from the New York City
line eastward to Riverhead. The fourth occupies a segment of the
south fork east of the Shinnecock Canal.
The age of the water in the Magothy is measured in centuries.
Some of the water in this aquifer fell as rain when General
Washington and his troops were on the Island. Some fell as rain
23 Water Resources Division, Statistical Modeling of Shallow
Groundwater 4uality in the Central Suffolk Pine Barrens SGPA,
Suffolk County, Long Island. N.Y. U.S.G.S., 1991.
2 t
0
before the first English settlers came to the Island. The
unpolluted portion of this aquifer is truly pristine and offers the
highest quality of drinking water to be found anywhere. When one
realizes the vulnerability of this remarkable natural resource,
which has been centuries in the formation, then one also realizes
the need to take all the steps necessary to protect the quality of
this supply.
The hydrogeological zones are depicted on Figure 1 and are
described in the following paragraphs.
Zones I, II, and III are the major deep recharge zones.
Zone I, located in Nassau County and western Suffolk,
contributes water to the middle and lower portions of the
Magothy Aquifer. Portions of the Glacial, and to a
lesser extent, the Magothy aquifers have been
contaminated by nitrates from fertilizers and on-site
wastewater disposal systems and by synthetic organic
chemicals from industrial and other discharges.
Initially, the nitrate contamination was a result of
farming practices and then, later, of urbanization. As
the source of water supply for the majority of Nassau and
Suffolk residents, Zone I requires the most careful
management. Although the greater part of the geographic
area within Zone I is urbanized and subject to
contamination, several of the northern sectors are still
relatively undeveloped and provide opportunities for
clean recharge of the aquifers.
Zone II, primarily located in eastern Nassau County (a
small portion is located in western Suffolk County), is
bordered on three sides by Zone 1. Much of the ground
water in this zone is severely contaminated as a result
of industrial discharges and, although most of the
discharges have ceased, the contamination is spreading
beyond the zone boundary.
Zone III, located in central Suffolk and a small portion
of eastern Suffolk County, includes a major portion of
the Long Island Pine Barrens. Most of the area within
the zone is relatively undeveloped and contains ground
water of excellent quality in the Upper Glacial, Magothy
and Lloyd aquifers. Some contamination occurs in the
Upper Glacial aquifer in the western portion of the .zone.
This contamination seems to be associated with the
3
impacts of development, including the discharge of sewage
from on-site systems. It appears likely that there are
several small plumes of contamination that originated
from sewage treatment plants, old landfills or as a _
result of spills and other activities®
Zone IV encompasses the North Fork, Shelter Island, and
the northern and eastern portion of the South Fork, The
ground water underlying the recently identified deep
recharge areas on the South Fork (portions of Zone IV now
redesignated Zone V) is generally of excellent quality®
Zone IV is characterized by shallow flow systems that
discharge to streams and marine waters. A large portion
of Zone IV on the North Fork has been contaminated as a
result of agricultural activities®
Zone V extends over the western portion of the South Fork
and the ground water in this zone discharges to ponds,
bays and the Atlantic Ocean® A few areas of Zone V have
also been impacted by agricultural activities®
Zone VI, located on the south shore of Suffolk County,
discharges streamflow and underfloor to Moriches Bay and
eastern Great South Bay® The waters are generally of
high quality®
Zone VII is also located on the south shore and
discharges to Nassau and western Suffolk south shore
bays, where greater tidal exchange facilitates the
dilution and dispersion of contaminants. Some instances
of salt water intrusion already exist, particularly in
the Long Beach area of Nassau County® In some cases both
the Glacial and Magothy aquifers are affected®
Zone VIII is located on the north shore of Nassau and
Suffolk Counties® Groundwater flows towards the harbors,
bays, or to the Long Island Sound®
v
Creation of Special Groundwater Protection Areas
"Special groundwater protection area" shall mean
recharge watershed area within a designated sole
source area contained within counties having a
population of one million or more which is
particularly important for the maintenance of large
volumes of high quality groundwater for long periods
of time. ,For the purposes of this article, each
"special groundwater protection area"' shall be
classified as a critical area of environmental
concern as used under article eight of this
chapter. 24
These areas are significant, largely undeveloped or sparsely
developed geographic areas of Long Island that provide recharge to
portions of the deep flow aquifer system. There is an urgent need
to maintain them as sources of high quality recharge. They
represent a unique, final opportunity for comprehensive, preventive
management to preclude or minimize land use activities that can
have a deleterious impact on groundwater. Therefore, the
protection of groundwater in these areas is a first -order priority.
Section 55-0101 of Article 55 declared it "public ,policy to
provide funds for the preparation and implementation of groundwater
watershed protection plans in order to maintain existing water
quality in special groundwater protection areas ... and to further
the implementation of nonpoint source controls for the protection
of the potable supply underlying the entire recharge area."
Article 55 set forth a* procedure for the nomination of Special
Groundwater Protection Areas other than the nine designated areas
24 Section 55-0107 ECL Article 55
5
mentioned in Section 55-0113®
The already designated areas
included North Hills, Northern Oyster Bay, Woodbury Road/West
Pulaski Road/West Hills, Oak Brush Plains, Setauket Pine Barrens,
Central Pine Barrens, South Fork Morainal Forest and Hither Hills.
At the request of the Town of Southold the SGPA Advisory
Council (SGPAAC) considered the addition of a ninth SGPA, and
agreed that a portion of farm area in the central part of the Town
be recommended for designation. See Appendix 2 for a discussion
of the designation process. Figure 2 depicts the location of the
nine SGPAs.
A seven part criteria was set forth in Section 55-0109 for the
selection of SGPAs:
1. Whether the special groundwater protection area is a
recharge zone for groundwater with a present or future water
supply potential.
2. Whether the special groundwater protection -area is largely
undeveloped, with tracts of natural vegetation, or natural
geological conditions.
3. Whether the groundwater which is recharged through the
special groundwater protection area is of high quality.
4. Whether the hydrogeologic conditions are such that
development could lead to degradation of water quality.
5. Whether portions of the groundwater with the sole source
aquifer area are already contaminated with toxic organics,
nutrients, salts or other pollutants so as to warrant special
protection for areas which recharge high quality groundwater.
6. Whether maintenance of existing high quality in the
groundwater recharged through the special groundwater
protection area would have significant economic, social,
ecological, recreational or aesthetic benefits for the sole
source aquifer area.
7. Whether degradation of such groundwater would have signi-
ficant economic, social, ecological, recreational and
6 t
aesthetic costs for the area.
The Legislative expectations regarding the contents of the
SGPA plan are comprehensive in form and set forth as eleven
requirements in Section 55-0115. They are:
1. A determination of the quality of the existing
groundwater recharged through said special groundwater
protection area, the natural recharge capabilities of the
special groundwater protection area watershed and the
dependence of any natural ecosystems in the special
groundwater protection area on the water quality and
natural recharge capabilities of said area;
2. An identification of all known existing and
potential point and non -point sources of groundwater
degradation;
3. Development of specific watershed rules and
regulations pursuant to section eleven hundred of the
public health law, which are designed to accomplish the
purposes of this article;
4. A map showing the detailed boundary of the special
groundwater protection area or areas as well as a precise
written description of such boundaries;
5. A resource assessment which determines the amount
and type of human development and activity which the
ecosystem can sustain while still maintaining existing
ground and surface water quality and protecting unique
ecological features;
6. The identification and proposal of limits on
federal, state and local government financially assisted
activities and projects which, directly or indirectly,
may contribute, in any way whatsoever, to any degradation
of such groundwater or any loss of natural surface and
subsurface infiltration or purification capability of the
special groundwater protection area watershed;
7. Development of a comprehensive statement of land
use management as it pertains to the maintenance and
enhancement of groundwater quality and quantity;
8. Proposal of limits on land uses that might have an
adverse impact on water quality and/or recharge
capabilities in the special groundwater protection area;
"� 7
9. Consideration and proposal of specific techniques,
including, but not limited to: clustering, large lot
zoning, purchase, exchange or donation of conservation
easements or development rights, and other innovative
measures sufficient to achieve the objectives of this
section;
10. Designation of specific areas within special
groundwater protection areas suitable and appropriate for
public acquisition; and
11. A program for local governmental implementation of
the comprehensive management plan described in this
subdivision in a manner that will insure the continued,
uniform, consistent protection of this area in accord
with the purposes of this article.
Every effort has been made to meet the spirit and the letter of the
law. This has necessitated a greater financial input than that
provided for in the law. The original funding of $300,000 provided
in the contract between the LIRPB and the NYSDEC was to be matched
by a $100,000 contribution of local support. The actual local
share has well exceeded the state sum in cash and in kind costs.
The LIRPB, and county agencies in Nassau and Suffolk counties have
demonstrated their commitment to the importance of this work by not
limiting their participation to a level .of effort commensurate with
the state funding. As a result, this report addresses all eleven
requirements. However, it must be stressed that the response to
each specific requirement varies in detail and quantitative
specificity. For example, requirement five implies that the
concept,of carrying capacity, which is based on an aquifer recharge
rate of one million gallons per day (MGD) per square mile. While
qualitative and subjective analyses are possible, the state of the
art does not yet permit mathematically precise assessments. In
8
{ every case in which limited knowledge could lead to contrasting
interpretations, an effort was made to err on the side of
conservatism and to follow a minimal growth scenario in the SGPAs.
This approach is consistent with the overall Long Island
Groundwater Management Strategy, which calls for a high level of
protection throughout the two counties, irrespective of location;
an even higher level within the deep recharge areas; and the
highest level of protection in the SGPAs.
The nine SGPAs cover slightly more than one-quarter of the
land area of the two counties, and contain some 60 percent of the
remaining open lands. Therefore, planning for the appropriate,
environmentally acceptable use of those properties is the most
significant aspect of the study.
This SGPA plan provides a detailed blueprint for groundwater
and environmental protection for the lands within each of the nine
SGPAs. It includes proposals for major watershed acquisitions
through a variety of means, recommendations for the restriction of
activities that could have an adverse impact on current and future
water supplies, and administrative programs for watershed
management including watershed management rules and regulations.
The plan. completes the effort that commenced with the
publication of the 1986 study covering the two pilot areas in
Oyster Bay and the western Pine Barrens in Brookhaven. The report
format consists of three major parts following this introductory
chapter as well as a set of Appendices. The second part discusses
issues of, a general nature that apply to all the SGPAs and also
9
addresses requirement items 1,3,5,6,7, and 8. The third part
presents the data, maps, and management proposals for each
individual SGPA® This part addresses requirement items
2,4,5,6,7,8, and 10 as they apply to the unique conditions of each
SGPA, both in its entirety and in respect to specific parcels or
activities® The fourth part is devoted to implementation of the
plan and addresses requirements 9 and 11® The appendices contain
inventory and statistical data, and detailed written boundary
descriptions (the descriptive portion of requirement 4) that may
be of interest to the more limited audience concerned with
technical, tabular and other supporting materials.
I
10
N
I
Introduction
Although the magnitude and specific sources of the existing
and potential problems vary within and among the SGPAs, there is
considerable similarity in respect to groundwater impacts.
Some of the water quality problems result from the
introduction of contaminants in concentrations that exceed the
natural filtering ability of the soils above the aquifers. , Some
of the problems are of long duration and are evidence of past
events, including improper practices that no longer occur but
unfortunately have left a legacy of residual pollution. Some of
the problems are reflective of current on-going practices that are
adding new levels of contaminants.
The sources are numerous but in all instances are the result
of human activities that are part of the urban, suburban and rural
patterns inherent in the creation of communities or use of the
natural environment for food production, recreation and
exploitation of mineral resources. They include on-site septic
systems loadings that are not adequately attenuated by the
receiving soils; commercial and industrial discharges, legal and
otherwise; improper storage and disposal of raw and hazardous
materials or wastes; and non-essential or inappropriate application
of agricultural and turf chemicals.
The use and disposition of consumer products,, including
organic cesspool cleaners, paint thinners, cleansers and automotive
fluids, have added a host of toxic and hazardous contaminants to
the unsaturated zone and, ultimately to the groundwater beneath or
down -gradient from residential areas.
The unregulated or illicit discharges and other waste disposal
practices of small quantity generators have led to the
proliferation of contaminant "hot spots", often in the vicinity of
industrial and service establishments, institutions and
governmental facilities. The open or poorly protected stockpiles -
of hazardous materials, ranging from deicing salts to junked cars,
have contributed leachate and polluted runoff to the groundwater
resource; while leaking storage tanks and accidental' spills have
added petroleum products and other chemical contaminants to the
soils and to the aquifer.
Sandmining has created open pits, frequently exposing the
surface of the water table and facilitating the rapid movement of
contaminants from the surface to the aquifer without the benefit
of any attenuation in the unsaturated zone.
Finally, agriculture has contributed nutrient and pesticide
enriched leachate partially as the result of extensive use of
agricultural chemicals, poor timing of applications, over
irrigation or weather conditions. Residential development
resulting in the broad scale clearance of natural vegetation and
the installation of lawns and landscaping requiring fertilization,
pest control and irrigation has also added many of the same
contaminants to the soils and groundwater.
Problems associated with the maintenance of a desirable volume
of clean recharge are present in all but the Hither Woods SGPA;
however, the problem varies in severity depending on the current
12
Opportunities Opportunities to prevent the degradation of
the groundwater resource and to maintain a satisfactory volume of
high quality recharge exist to varying degrees in each of the
13
of development, the nature and extent of protected open
cstatus
space, and the intensity and type of development pressures.
It is easier to maintain the volume of recharge than to insure
its quality. Thus, when lawns and landscaping replace natural
vegetation, almost the same amount of rainfall may reach the
aquifer, but the contaminant concentrations can be expected to
reflect the extent of horticultural chemical usage® when
impermeable surfaces, such as paved driveways and parking lots
designed to discharge runoff on site, replace open fields or
woodlands, the volume of rainfall that is recharged may actually
increase slightly in specific locations. A greater problem is that
the more rapid rate of runoff associated with impermeable surfaces
increases the likelihood that the runoff will pick up contaminants
normally present on such surfaces and will transport them to the
point of discharge without attenuation.
To the extent that runoff is not retained onsite but is
conveyed to a stream discharging to marine waters, there is a loss
of recharge®
Finally, the loss of wetlands or the impairment of their
ability to serve the dual function of stormwater retention and
pollutant attenuation or removal affects groundwater quantity and
quality as well as the viability of fresh water dependent
ecosystems®
Opportunities Opportunities to prevent the degradation of
the groundwater resource and to maintain a satisfactory volume of
high quality recharge exist to varying degrees in each of the
13
SGPAs. Even in those areas where considerable development has
already occurred, such opportunities exist.
There is still a chance to guide and to manage future
development and activities to prevent or minimize groundwater
degradation in SGPAs. The municipalities and the County health
departments can use their respective zoning and sanitary code
authority to limit or prohibit the establishment or expansion of
land uses and activities involving the storage, use or disposal of
potential contaminants. Towns and villages can utilize zoning and
other land use control powers to establish or maintain appropriate
residential densities and site clearance regulations that will
minimize potential nitrate and household hazardous product
contamination. Health departments, through sanitary code
regulation of onsite systems based on lot size, can support the
effort to achieve environmentally acceptable residential densities.
State and local governments and quasi -public entities can
continue the bi-county effort to purchase and preserve open space
and insure the quality of the underlying groundwater.
Municipalities can use the transfer of development rights to retain
open space within the SGPA in return for higher than otherwise
allowable densities outside the area.
There is a chance to reduce existing ,and future degradation
caused by land uses and activities. The State and the Counties can
expand, refine and prioritize their regulatory actions to optimize
contaminant source control. They can support household hazardous
waste disposal programs and the dissemination of information on the
14 1 1 t
proper use of agricultural chemicals and the maintenance of septic
systems. The State and the municipalities can insure the
appropriate reclamation and sensitive redevelopment of abandoned
or soon to be abandoned sandmines to prevent the uncontrolled
disposal of wastes at such sites.
Opportunities to protect the volume and quality of the
recharge also exist in each of the SGPAs. The same State, County
and local open space acquisition programs that protect groundwater
from the degrading effects of urbanization can also protect future
recharge. Local subdivision regulations that mandate clustering
of major subdivisions and the dedication of remaining acreage as
open space further assure the widespread availability of protected
areas for aquifer replenishment. The State, the Counties, school
districts and municipal governments have a chance to protect
existing clean recharge areas associated with their own
institutions and facilities and with private institutions. Their
retention of undisturbed woodlands, wetlands, natural buffer areas
and rights of way can prevent the long term loss of clean recharge
in exchange for a one-time monetary gain.
This is the challenge and the potential at this crucial
juncture in the history of Long Island. How well we respond to the
challenge will determine the quality of life for current and future
generations.
The balance -of this chapter consists of two sections. The
first, under the heading - of Regional Overview, describes the
general demographic and land use characteristics of the-SGPAs, and
15 '
includes projections of saturation or maximum growth that might be
expected to occur if no new groundwater protection measures are
implemented. The second and larger section, Policy Considerations,
contains a detailed discussion and set of recommendations that can
and should be applied to all of the SGPAs. The lead portion
mentions the State's anti -degradation policy and its implications
for the Long Island SGPAs. This is followed by a discussion of
watershed rules and regulations. The relationships of the New York
State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) to Article 55 is
reviewed; followed by a three-part concluding discussion and set
of recommendations on zoning and open space acquisitions and Best
Management Practices (BMP).
Regional Overview
.Several characteristics are common to all of the SGPAs. Since
all nine areas were chosen because they have the best, potential for
existing and future high quality -deep recharge, it is axiomatic
that they would.comprise the least developed lands in the two
counties. Comparison of demographic and land use data for the
SGPAs and the counties as a whole clearly confirm this statement.
The overall density of population in the SGPAs as expressed
in the number of persons per acre is significantly lower than that
of the surrounding areas. In seven of the areas the density was
one person or less per acre. 25 North Hills, the western -most and
second smallest SGPA, located in the Town of North Hempstead has
25 North Hills and South Setauket Woods are two of the nine
SGPAs that exceed the population density of one person per acre.
a density of 1.7 persons per acre. The South Setauket woods in the
Town of Brookhaven has a seemingly high density of 2.6 persons per
acre (which is roughly the equivalent of one family per acre).
However, this area includes the State University of New York at
Stony Brook which if excluded from the overall SGPA would reduce
the density to 1.3 persons per acre. Hither Woods SGPA is totally
in the public domain and is virtually at zero persons per acre.
The vacant undeveloped lands within the SGPAs exceed 60,000
acres and represent more than one-half of all the vacant land in
the two counties, and approximate almost one-third of the 207,000
acres in the SGPAs. Open space, conservation and recreation lands
dedicated for public use or held by non-profit environmental
organizations account for almost 19 per cent or 38,800 acres; and
agricultural lands add another 13 per cent or 27,900 acres. This
means that approximately 127,000 acres or 61 per cent of the total
land area of the SGPAs is currently open.
Residential uses, generally low density development, occupy
24 per cent. Non-residential uses other than institutional
(schools, hospitals, government buildings, etc.) are insignificant
in terms of acres, but are significant in terms of impact.
commercial and industrial .uses,. some of which are existing or
potential sources of serious ground -water contamination, account
for less than 3 per cent of the SGPA lands. Utilities and
transportation uses, transmission lines, roads and railroad lines
account for the remainder. Table 1 contains a summary of the
existing land uses for all the SGPAs as quantified from 1989 data.
C� 17
Individual tables for each SGPA may be found within the text in
Chapter 3 of this report.
18
A
A
Table 1 Existing Land Use (acres) in
all SGPAs, 1989
Total 207,372
*Column may not total 100.0 due to rounding
Source® Long Island Regional Planning Board
19
Existing
Percent of
Land Use Category
Land Use
Total*
Residential
49,437
23.8
Vacant
60,053
29.0
Underwater Land
1,500
0.7
Commercial
2,361
1.1
Industrial
2,466
1.2
Institutional
12,690
6.1
Utilities
12,157
5.9
Open Space
38,839
18.7
Agricultural
27,869
13.4
Total 207,372
*Column may not total 100.0 due to rounding
Source® Long Island Regional Planning Board
19
The population in the SGPAs in 1980 comprised only 5 per cent
of the bi-county population but contained 25, per cent of the total
land area. In the following decade the population within these
areas increased by almost 20 per cent. In Nassau County the North
Hills SGPA population increased by 75 per cent. The Oyster Bay
SGPA also increased. This is in sharp contrast to the county -wide
pattern of population declines which resulted in a loss of 3400
persons or 0.10 per cent® Similarly, in Suffolk County, which
sustained a modest population increase of almost 38,000 persons or
approximately 3 per cent, more than one-half the growth occurred
in the SGPAs. This is understandable since the average within the
SGPAs represents the major share of the open space lands that are
subject to development. The numbers clearly demonstrate the need
for open space protection if the SGPAs are to be retained for
aquifer protection. Table 2 contains population estimates for each
area and the totals for all the SGPAs for the years 1980 and 1988.
20
Total 129,141 154,191
Source: Long Island Regional Planning Board.
21
19.4
Table 2
Estimated
Population of SGPA's,
1980 and
1988
Estimated
Estimated
1980-1988
1980
1988
%
Population
Population
Change
North Hills
2,767
4,846
75.1
Oyster Bay
25,170
29,561
17.4
West Hills/Melville
7,526
6,942
- 7.8
Oak Brush Plains
3,931
3,047
-22'.5
S. Setauket Woods
9,870
10,652
7.9
Central Suffolk
74,494
92,651
24.4
South Fork
4,742
5,780
21.9
Hither Hills
5
6
20.0
Southold Additional
636
706
11.0
Total 129,141 154,191
Source: Long Island Regional Planning Board.
21
19.4
The period 1980-1988 was generally a time of rapid growth and
extreme pressure on the remaining vacant land; however,
preservation efforts and zoning changes limited the impact of new
development in most of the SGPAs. Two areas, West Hills/Melville
and Oak Brush Plains, actually lost population due a reduction in
the number of persons living in a New York State Department of
Mental Hygiene institution within the SGPA.
North Hills and the Brookhaven Pilot Area sustained the
greatest relative increases. The development of luxury
condominiums and single family housing spurred growth in North
Hills, while development of single family and retirement housing
added to the population of the pilot area.
Under a worst case scenario, the SGPAs, which in 1988 housed
an estimated year-round population of 155,000 persons and a
seasonal increment of more than 26,000, could ultimately
accommodate 269,683 year round residents and a seasonal increment
of 59,000. These figures are based upon a calculation of
saturation population; that is, the suis of all persons who could
be expected to inhabit a given area were the area to reach the
maximum development permissible under existing zoning. The
saturation estimates, presented in Table 3, reflect the. count of
existing and potential dwellings, multiplied by a household size
factor adjusted for the type of housing and character of the
22
�I
community.26 For those SGPAs with a significant proportion of
seasonal units, the seasonal population increment has been
calculated separately and the numbers added to the year round
estimates.
26 The number of housing units was estimated at 0.4 per acre
based on the yield of 2 acre zoning. The household size factor
used was 3 persons.
23
` - B
Table 3
SGPA Saturation Population Estimates
Yr.Round+
1988 Yr.Round+ Seasonal
1988 Yr.Round+ Yr.Round Seasonal 1988 to
Yr.Round Seasonal Saturation Saturation Saturation
Population Population Population Population % Change
North Hills
4,846
4,846
7,167
7,167
47.9
Oyster Bay
29,561
29,561
.43,602
43,602
47.5
West Hills/Melville
6,942
6,942
12,564
13,488
81.5
Oak Brush Plains
3,047
3,047
4,211
4,211
38.2
So. Setauket Woods
10,652
10,652
16,489
16,489
54.8
Central Suffolk
92,651
107,082
167,767
196,632
83.6
South Fork
5,780
16,927
14,137
41,401*
144.6
Hither Hills
6
6
6
6*
0.0
Southold
706
1,415
2,816
5,644*
298.9
Total
154,-191
180,208
268,759
328,640
82.4
*Includes projected
increases
in number
of seasonal
residents.
Source: Long Island
Regional
Planning
Board
L_
If this rate of growth were allowed to continue, the
inescapable consequence would be the deterioration of groundwater
quality and the loss of future supplies of high quality potable
waters.
Policy Considerations
Article 55 of New York State Conservation Law known as the
Sole Source Aquifer Protection Act stated in its declaration of
policy that the public policy of the state is to maintain existing
Water quality in special groundwater protection areas within
federally designated sole source aquifer areas. This clearly and
unambiguously sets the parameters which planning and implementation
24
efforts must strive to meet.
It is implicit in this declaration that the aquifers cannot
be allowed to degrade; and therefore, one objective of SGPA
planning must be the continuation of an anti -degradation policy and
program. The implementation and administrative actions that flow
from this' objective must include the maximum retention and
protection of the undeveloped portions still extant within the
areas, the development of workable and comprehensive watershed
rules and regulations, and the strengthening of regulations and
enforcement of all laws that further the aims of SGPA protection.
The following pages discuss each of these key components. It
should be noted that new courses are being set, and new
administrative responsibilities considered. This will require a
new flexibility and a new mindset on the part of citizens,
administrators and elected officials, if SGPA planning is to amount
to more than just another study on a dusty shelf. Since nearly
every participant in the preparation of this study came to the
project with preconceived opinions and strongly held views, it was
inescapable that this would lead to less than total consensus on
each and every issue and recommendation. since planning must be
an open process with maximum input, the Project Director
unilaterally established the rule that every view must be heard,
debated and given visibility. In the event that a consensus could
not be reached,the majority view would be presented and identified
as the findings of the group, but the dissenting opinions would be
identified and included in the text.
25
Antidegradation Policy - In response to federal legislation
and input based on work carried out iii,the 1960s' by the New York
State Water Resources commission, an antidegradationpolicy was
adopted by the State on May 7, 1970.27
The policy statement was subsequently approved by the Federal
Water Quality Administration of the Department of the Interior and
by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The powers
and responsibilities of the Water Resources Commission were
transferred to NYSDEC in 1970. The following paragraphs contain the
language of the policy. 28
DEC Antidearadation Policy
It is recognized that certain waters of New York
State possess an existing quality which is better than
the standards assigned thereto. The quality of these
waters will be maintained unless the following provisions
have been demonstrated to the satisfaction of the
Commissioner of Environmental Conservation:
1. That allowing lower water quality is
necessary to accommodate significant economic
or social development in the affected areas;
and
2. That water quality will be adequate to
meet the existing usage of a waterbody when
allowing a lowering of water quality.
Where waters are meeting higher uses or
attaining quality higher than the current
classification, the Department will use the
SEQR process to assure that potential adverse
environmental impacts are adequately mitigated
and higher attained uses are protected.
In addition, the highest statutory and
regulatory requirements for all new point
sources and cost effective and reasonable best
management practices for non -point source
27 Clean Water Act (33 SS 1251 et sea).
28 Organization and Delegation Memorandum No. 85-40, Water
.Quality Antidegradation Policy, NYSDEC.
26 �"
control shall be achieved; and 'the
intergovernmental coordination and public
participation provisions of New York's
continuing planning process will be satisfied.
Water which does not meet the standards
assigned thereto will be improved to meet
such. The water uses and the level of water
quality necessary to protect such uses shall
be maintained and protected.
It is logical that if it is a public policy objective to
maintain and protect the potable waters of high quality, then these
waters should not be subjected to contamination. In other words,
government should take every reasonable step to preclude the
introduction of pollutants into the aquifers. This is known as
zero degradation. In reality, however, tradeoffs often become
necessary in order to meet significant economic or social
requirements. In such cases, it is essential to mitigate or
minimize the negative impacts on the aquifers. This plan is based
on the application of the concept of antidegradation rather than
zero degradation.
All Long Island groundwaters are classified as GA
regardless of their present condition. The recommendations of this
study support the state policy of maintaining the'high quality of
the aquifers especially in the SGPAs. It must be noted, however,
that some contamination of Long Islands's waters has already
occurred as the result of State Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System (SPDES) permit violations and other sources. If maximum
protection is to be achieved then maximum restrictions must apply.
There are 33 sewage treatment plants (STPs) located within
five of the nine SGPAs. Two serve educational facilities in Oyster
L. 27
e
Bay; one serves the State Developmental Center in the West Hills -
Melville SGPA; one, the Pilgrim State Hospital in the Oak Brush
Plains SGPA; one, the SUNY Campus at Stony Brook in the South
Setauket SGPA; and the remaining 28 serve a variety of public and
private institutional facilities and residential developments in
the Central Suffolk SGPA. An additional ten STPs are proposed or
under construction, including one in the West Hills -Melville, one
in the South Setauket Woods and eight in the Central Suffolk SGPA.
The Stony Brook STP, the Brookhaven National Laboratory STP
and the Calverton (Grumman) STP discharge to surface waters. New
York State has agreed to replace the substandard Pilgrim State STP
with a connection to the collection system of the Southwest Sewer
District treatment plant in Babylon, which also discharges to
surface waters.
There are divergent views as to the best way -to protect
groundwater from point source airdhArges such as those covered by
SPDES permits. One recommendation would be, to bar additional
significant SPDES discharges within SGPAs, except in the case of
new STPs where they are essential to the improvement or maintenance
of water quality. Another would be to minimize but not preclude
the establishment of either remediation and cooling water
I
discharge. There is agreement that it is necessary to reduce
contaminant loadings from existing STPs and from septic systems.
Expansion of the Southwest Sewer District STP, the State
University at Stony Brook STP, the Yaphank and the Riverhead STPs
to serve portions of the West Hills -Melville and the Oak Brush
28 �`
Plains, the South Setauket Woods and the southwestern and
northeastern sectors of the Central Suffolk SGPAs, respectively,
could be expected, to reduce or minimize the potential for
groundwater contamination. Since there would also be a reduction
in recharge, it would be essential to increase water conservation
efforts in areas served by these STPs. See Appendix E for water
conservation recommendations.
Other actions to reduce or minimize the potential for
pollution include the regionalization and centralization of
treatment facilities in those portions of the Central Suffolk SGPA
that cannot be served by STPs with discharges to surface water or
shallow flow groundwater and the consolidation of the remaining
existing and proposed facilities wherever feasible in order to
insure the creation or continuation of viable state of the art
sewage treatment within the SGPA. Prohibition of,, the establishment
of new small STPs, unless the applicant can demonstrate that the
operation of the facility will result in the improvement of
groundwater quality, or local recharge through the inclusion of
existing sources.
New sewage treatment plants should be permitted in Special
Groundwater Protection Areas subject to the following -conditions:
As a replacement to an existing sewage treatment plant or
plants where due to the new siting standards or new operating
and discharge standards, it is not feasible to expand and
upgrade existing sewage treatment plants.
Where large areas of open, space and prime watershed area can
be protected from all development.
When clustered development will require the averaging of the
discharge over the entire property and where this will result
29
in an unacceptable discharge to groundwater.
Where the pattern of existing development has caused
contamination of the groundwater and the establishment of an
STP can be expected to minimize further contamination.
Where the pattern of development is less intense and the
ambient groundwater quality is better outside of the SGPA.
STPs should not be moved outside of an SGPA just because of
a mapped boundary.
In Nassau County, where all municipal STPs discharge to
surface waters, and in Suffolk County where STPs discharge to
surface or to groundwater, 201 -type studies should be undertaken
to investigate the need for sewering of already developed unsevered
areas within the SGPAs where the current density exceeds existing
208 Study criteria and where there are documented adverse
groundwater impacts.
The presence of single-wall petroleum and home heating oil
fuel tanks throughout Long Island are potential problems. The
threat of leaks was a great concern during the preparation of the
11208" Plan and recommendations were made to,eliminate these tanks
from commercial establishments. Several serious leaks at gas
station and petroleum products distribution and storage facilities
were evidence of the problem. The storage of gasoline and fuel oil
at larger facilities (over 1100 gallons) is already regulated by
New York State and both counties. A question remains as to whether
leakage from typical residential fuel oil storage tanks
(275/550/1000 gallon capacity) poses a threat to the quality of the
aquifer. A study is presently being conducted by the Nassau County
Departments of Health and Public Works to determine the impact of
30
failures from such tanks upon the aquifer. If'a problem does
exist, a tank replaceient program should be instituted. This may
involve substantial cost to both the home owner and government.
A program of assistance should be developed to reduce this
financial burden.
To the extent that the size of lawn areas and the types of
grass used for residential., commercial and golf course turf require
the application of agricultural chemicals, they pose a threat of
groundwater contamination from organics and inorganics. Best
Management Practices (BMP) would include minimal turf areas
surrounding buildings; the use of slow release nitrogen
fertilizers; and the use of selected grasses and groundcovers that
require minimal fertilization., are relatively disease free and
drought resistant so that irrigation and pesticide uses can be
stringently limited.
Open Space and Land Use.Cons,iderations _ The most effective,
the most complete, and often the most costly strategy for
maintenance of aquifer quality in the SGPAs is to protect the
overlying watershed land surfaces by'placing the undeveloped lands
in the public domain, fencing them in; and then providing adequate
policing to insure against pollution.
Unfortunately, there are insufficient tax dollars and other
resources to permit the' accomplishment of this objective. However,
as this plan demonstrates in Chapter 3, which deals with the
individual SPGAs, large parcels of open .land within the Suffolk
SGPAs have been and will continue to be acquired by means of
C, 31
Suffolk County's sales tax purchase program and the purchase of
development rights of agricultural lands with funds allocated by
county and municipal bond issues. Recommendations for the
furtherance of these programs and similar recommendations for
Nassau County are discussed in Part 4 under Implementation.
The second best approach is to limit the density of future
development within the larger undeveloped or open tracts that
cannot be preserved through purchase. This would apply especially
to the golf courses within both Nassau and Suffolk SGPAs. For many
years, the two County Planning Commissions and the LIRPB have been
on record in favor of the preservation of all remaining golf
courses because of their importance for recreation and the positive
advantages they offer as part of the open -space watershed
inventory. Best Management Practices in turf and irrigation
{
procedures can. minimize and mitigate any maintenance~ associated
impacts on the groundwater.
If development must be allowed, then it should be subject to
mandatory cluster zoning based on five acre residential zoning.
Many portions of the SGPAs in Brookhaven, Southampton; East
Hampton, and Oyster Bay are already zoned for five acre residential
use. The housing units could be single family detached structures
on one acre lots, with the total yield not exceeding that which
could be obtained through conventional subdivision of the entire
parcel of five acres per dwelling unit. The undeveloped portion
of the parcel which could amount at least to four-fifths, or 80%
of the property, would remain undeveloped in perpetuity.
32 �`
The SGPA Advisory Council and the staff of the LIRPB gave
'considerable thought, and engaged in intensive debate ,over the
question of a 'blanket recommendation for five acre zoning, as
opposed to less sweeping geographically specific zoning proposals.
'A number of issues had to be addressed. Some were pragmatic in
origin, others were based on interpretations of current scientific
knowledge and standards: Representatives from governmental
'regulatory agencies expressed the view that they had to be guided
by current requirements and standards. For example, nitrate
concentration is rthe current legally enforceable standard that,
guides the DEC and the County Health Department efforts to protect
drinking water. The 208 Study indicated that a residential zoning
;density of one dwelling per two acre lot is generally adequate to
;permit development without exceeding acceptable nitrate loadings.
Environmental organization representatives argued that while this
might be true for nitrogen, it was not necessarily true for
contamination from organics. Improper use and disposal of
hazardous or toxic products from a single household could imperil
a portion of the aquifer.
A more pragmatic set of arguments advanced in favor of the
• j
more stringent five acre zoning included the .fact that most of the
undeveloped land in the Central Suffolk and South Fork SGPAs, which
constitutes over 90 per cent of the undeveloped lands in all the
I
.SGPAs, is already zoned for five acre residential use. Even the
.most westerly SGPA at North Hills has two and a half acre zoning
on the Whitney Estate. Therefore the amount of land that would be
33
r ,
affected relative to the overall real estate in the two counties
is modest, indeed, when weighed against the greater benefit of a
more protected aquifer.
Another feature of the five acre recommendation is the
flexibility afforded in, the sub -division process. Maximum set
aside of open space can be achieved while still providing the
opportunity for single family detached housing on one acre sites
that would fit within the general community character, particularly
in the more suburban ;areas of Long Island. Protection of
terrestrial habitats would also be enhanced by the five acre
zoning.
Of course, the final decisions will have to be made by the _
i
towns and villages whose jurisdictions cover the specific SGPAs.
At the very least, this study sets a goal towards which communities
can strive if it is the public will to maximize groundwater quality
and protection.
In those already ,developed portions of the SGPA where
previously platted lots exist as scattered properties, building
should -be permitted even though the established density is higher
than five acres. Howeveri, wherever conditions permit, unsubdivided
and unsewered parcels lin established neighborhoods should be
upzoned to at least 3/41acre to 1 acre, and 2 acre if the parcel
is large enough to conform to the general pattern.
I
A long festering problem in some communities within the SGPAs
is the existence of old filed sub -division maps with numerous' small
lots that do not meet zoning requirements as to size, but remain
34
jurisdiction should attempt to acquire and replat these lands to
conform with current zoning and standards.
It is also' important that multi -family or condominium
development be strictly limited. In those instances that
overriding considerations of social need warrant such construction,
units should be clustered and the sites selected to provide sewage
collection and hookup to a treatment facility that maximizes SGPA
watershed protection.
New industrial and non-essential commercial uses 29 should be
limited throughout the SGPAs. Existing vacant non -residentially
zoned properties should be rezoned by town or village action to
residential zoning! wherever development patterns or the absence of
development permits. Existing developed non-residential uses that
pose a threat to groundwater should be classified as incompatible
with groundwater protection and treated as -a non -conforming .use
with sunset provisions in order to phase them out of existence
within a reasonable period of'time.
SEORA - Article 55 of the Environmental Conservation Law
dealing with Sole Source Aquifer Protection specifies, under
Section 55-0107 dealing with Definitions, that Special Groundwater
Protection Areas shall be classified as Critical Environmental
Areas of special concern as defined in Article 8 of the
29 Commercial uses within SGPAs are considered non-essential
if similar adequate facilities and services required by SGPA
residents are available within a reasonable distance.
f
4 35
Environmental Conservation Law. Furthermore, Section 55-0117;6
dealing with the boundaries of the special groundwater protection
areas states that upon adoption of the boundaries by the planning
entity, the special groundwater protection areas shall be
designated as critical environmental areas pursuant to SEQRA.,
Section 617.2 (i)' of Title 6 NYCRR (SEQRA Rules and
Regulations) specifically defines a "Critical Environmental Area"
(CEA) -as:
a specific geographic area designated by a,state or
local agency,lhaving exceptional or unique
characteristics that make the area environmentally
important. Any unlisted action located within a CEA
must be treated as a Type I Action by any involved
agency.
According to the most recent list from the New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation, local municipal
governments including the County of Suffolk as well as the Towns
of,Brookhaven, East Hampton, Huntington and Southampton, have
previously designated Critical Environmental Areas within proposed
SGPA boundaries. Official CEAs currently exist within all of or
part of the Oak Brush Plains, South Setauket Woods, Central
Suffolk, Brookhaven Pilot Area, South Fork, and Hither Hills SGPAs.
Once the SGPAs have been designated as Critical Environmental
Areas, they become partlof the statewide SEAR Type I.list pursuant
i
to Title 6 NYCRR Part 617.12 (b) (12). Any unlisted action
occurring "wholly or partially within or substantially contiguous
_ h
to any Critical Environmental Area" is considered to be a Type I
action for any local oristate agency involved in that action.
I
'3 6 �"
CEA designation assures that the procedures for Type I actions
will be followed for each unlisted action. Specifically, involved
agencies must agree on a lead agency to coordinate the project's
SEQR review. Notices of the lead agency's determination of
significance must be publicly filed with the appropriate filing
points listed in the SEQR rules and regulations under Section
617.10 (a) (2) .
In addition,;agencies may
a. file with agencies that may be affected by the
action, even though they are not jurisdictionally
involved
b. notify affected landowners
C. provide for general public notice (posting, open files,
public notices., etc.).
Further, a Full Environmental Assessment Form (EAF) must be
r
used by the lead; agency in determining the significance of an
'action associated with a CEA. The EAF is comprehensive in nature.
As a component of the public record of a project, the EAF provides
a clear indication of the considerations made by thelead agency.
Although Type I actions do not always result in a
determination that an Environmental Impact Statement is required,
they are more likely to require an EIS than Unlisted actions. CEA
designation does not automatically cause an EIS to be prepared for
every proposed action within a designated CEA.
It is important to recognize that CEA designation is sometimes
a less effective tool for environmental protection than -the
37
7
P.
imposition of special zoning or requirement of easements. However,
the CEA process is unique in that it insures more public
involvement and environmental review of proposed activities in such
areas, even though it does not place additional controls or land
use restrictions on areas covered by the designation.
In 1990 and 1991 the state amended Article 8 of the
Environmental Conservation Law (SEQRA), Section 8-0109; as well as
Article 55, Section 55-0117, dealing with the certification by the
NYSDEC Commissioner of the SGPA Comprehensive Plan and its relation
to SEQRA. The revisions require that upon certification of the
plan by the commissioner, any project undergoing SEQRA review
within the SGPA must demonstrate how the project is in conformance
i
or nonconformance with the recommendations of the SGPA Study. Any
action found to have a significant impact upon SGPAs shall require
the preparation of an environmental impact statement which shall
include a detailed analysis of the effects of the proposed action
on, and its consistency'with, the comprehensive management plan of
the special groundwater protection area program. For any action
within an SGPA for which the lead agency decides that an
environmental impact statement is not required, the agency shall
show how such action would or would not be consistent with SGPA
comprehensive master plan as certified by the NYSDEC commissioner.
See Chapter 4 for implementation recommendations..
38
I
Watershed Rules and Regulations
Historically, the major thrust of New York State agencies in
implementing watershed rules and regulations (WRR) has been
directed at insuring the potability of surface waters used for
public supplies. However, within the last decade, there has been
I
increasing statewide awareness of the relationship between
activities at or near the surface of the land and of groundwater
quality. The 208 study definitively identified numerous activities
;that have already,impacted groundwater quality.
One of the major challenges in this study is -to provide
workable mechanisms to insure the maximum protection of the
aquifers in the SGPAs. The adoption of WRRs can provide regulatory
controls that water purveyors and the health agencies can apply as
'a positive groundwater protection technique. WRRs are the legal
;instrumentality by which a water utility can address activities
I
that may place a water supply source at risk.30 Policies should be
consistent and applicable throughout the bi-county area, which has
I
a large number of water suppliers of varying sizes and resources.
The value of; WRRs in SGPAs in particular, is that SGPAs
represent well defined regions of L.I. that have been targeted for
concentrated watershed management. By providing heightened
management and protection of these watershed regions, the broader,
general water supply area reaps the benefits in improved water
30 WRRs adopted by N.Y.S.D.O.H. in accord with Public Health
Law Section 1100 have the full enforcement power of State Law.
I. 39
I
quality. Further, by addressing the smaller sectors of the shallow
unconfined aquifer that contribute water- to existing and proposed
individual well sites, the highest possible protection can be
provided to the well sites where public water supply production is
occurring, or may occur in the future.
Section 00115-3 of the Sole Source Aquifer Law (Article 55 of
the Conservation Law) calls for the development of specific
watershed rules and regulations as part of the SGPA plan.
WRR Objectives - The objectives or goals to be achieved by the
application of WRRs must be consistent with the overall goals and
policies of the overall SGPA program. In one sense an argument
could be made that an entire SGPA should be treated as a watershed
management area and that, in effect, all policies related to land
use, zoning, and governmental activities within the SGPA constitute
overall WRRs. However, WRRs in the form of wellhead. protection
regulations also apply to more narrow geographic areas including
zones of influence and zones of contribution associated with
specific wellheads. Therefore, it is useful to examine and discuss
the various issues and approaches that can be taken in order to
maximize groundwater protection. In stating a number of goals it
must be understood that although this study applies to specifically
designated SGPAs, water purveyors in both counties view the need
to protect wellheads in or out of the SGPAs as of equal importance.
In other words, the readers should not conclude that greater
protection emphasis is being given to locations within the SGPAs.
Instead, the SGPAs should be viewed as areas of generally high
40 . t
quality if not pristine groundwater where open land and relatively
low density development provide opportunities for both watershed
and wellhead protection. The following five goals are recommended:
1. To establish special groundwater standards or goals that
ensure the protection of the groundwater quality within the
SGPAs as a whole and within the wellhead protection zones for
wells in the water table in the Glacial aquifer.
2. To define the types of activities that are compatible
and/or incompatible for areas of protection within SGPAs
in general and around well heads specifically.
3. To emphasize the importance of non -point pollution
controls in the SGPAs and within specific wellhead
protection zones.
4. To integrate, support, and augment the enforcement
of existing statutes, codes and regulations designed to
regulate contaminating activities and protect groundwater
quality.
5. To define zones of management and protection around
wells within or proximate to SGPAs in order to insure
adequate protection of the groundwater quality produced
by the wells.
Achievement of the goals of watershed and wellhead protection
will depend upon the coordinated application of existing and
expanded regulatory measures. The following paragraphs discuss
available measures and recommendations for their expansion or
improvement.
There are at least seventeen federal, state, or county laws
I.
or regulations affecting groundwater quality. 31. They range from the
Federal Safe Drinking Water Act to the various Articles in the
Nassau and Suffolk County Sanitary Codes. All of these laws must
be considered as part of WRRs. These laws would provide that no
31 See Appendix C.
41
federal, state or county agency shall perform any act or grant any
permit or approval that would result in the contravention of
standards for water quality. In the event that any conflict or
difference exists among the various regulations, the most stringent
and/or the most protective requirements shall control.
For example, Article 6, 7 and 12 of the Suffolk County
Sanitary Code, summarized below, provide basic protection.
Article 6 provides the requirements for water supply and
sewage disposal for realty subdivision, commercial, and
industrial developments. It recognizes the various
groundwater management zones and establishes specific
requirements for each zone. The intent of Article 6 is to
1
reduce the amount of wastewater generated from these land uses
with special restrictions in Zones III, V, and VI.
Article 7 deals with the control of specific sources of
pollution. It recognizes the water supply importance of deep
recharge areas and water supply sensitive areas and attempts
to protect them through prevention and control of
contaminants. The regulations. are quite specific in
prohibiting the types of hazardous waste that can be generated
in these special areas and the amounts that can be stored.
Article 12 deals with the storage and handling of toxic and
hazardous materials. Adopted in 1980, it became the model
for subsequent state and federal regulations. The regulations
apply to the design, construction and testing of underground
and above -ground storage tanks as well as indoor and outdoor
42
chemical storage areas.
Other regulations supportive of watershed or wellhead
protection can be found in'6NYCRR"Part 703, which provides that no
state, county, town or local government agency having jurisdiction
shall perform any act within the SGPAs which may result in the.
contravention of groundwater quality standards for class GA
groundwaters and also provides that no state, county, town or local
government agency having jurisdiction shall grant any permit or
approve any use or activity within the SGPAs which may result in -
the contravention of groundwater quality standards for class GA
groundwaters.32
Article 15-0514 of the Environmental Conservation Law enacted
in 1983 authorized the Department of Environmental Conservation to
promulgate rules and regulations that would restrict or prohibit
"incompatible uses" in primary groundwater recharge areas. To
date, such rules and regulations have not been promulgated.
New York State law requires that any spills of gasoline, other
petroleum products, hazardous and/or toxic substance in excess of
the ten gallons in singular or'aggregate volume must be reported
to DEC and the County Health Agency immediately upon discovery.
Although it isnot currently required, it is imperative that the
respective water utility receive notification as soon as possible.
All well fields within SGPAs should be.posted by the.water utility
with signs that include information of prohibited activities near
32 Class GA waters are those groundwaters.for which the best
usage is as a source of potable supply:
43
the well field, and who to notify in case of spills or other
emergencies.
Area Wide Concerns - Another concern is the presence of existing
underground pipelines. It is recommended that New York ,State
require permits for all such pipelines except those conveying
natural gas, sewage, storm drainage or drinking water; and that the
State notify the County health department and water supplier of any
proposed pipeline within them. The permitting agency should
inspect the entire length of the pipelines jurisdiction or service
area at least on an annual basis. If replacement is required, the
new sections should be constructed of double -walled piping. The
installation of new petroleum, or other hazardous materials
pipelines should be prohibited within SGPAs.
In addition, all sanitary waste discharges from industrial
facilities in excess -of 1000 gallons per day are to be considered
"major significant discharges" requiring SPDES permits and are to
be monitored and enforced as a major discharge.
Where groundwater deterioration may be caused by a land use
or activity, municipal officials should enact changes in zoning or
other controls to prevent groundwater contamination. Uses or
activities that are potential sources of pollution are incompatible
with groundwater protection. Where such uses already exist, they
may be continued subject to compliance with all applicable WRR and
subject to periodic review by the county health agency acting on
its own behalf and that of the water supplier. Existing industrial
buildings housing "wet" industries should be connected to STPs with
44 �"'
discharges outside and down gradient of the SGPAs. Sunset
provisions should be established for industrial operations not
severed as recommended. 33 These sunset provisions should also apply
to all incompatible commercial operations such as dry cleaners, gas
stations, or other commercial facilities that cannot conform to the
provisions of Nassau County's Article 11 or Suffolk, County's
Articles 7 and 12 regarding the storage of toxic and hazardous
materials.
No building or structure accommodating an incompatible
activity should be enlarged, altered or extended in any manner that
is deemed by the respective health departments or by NYSDEC to
increase the threat to the groundwater or otherwise contravene the
purpose and intent of watershed regulations. Appropriate local
governing bodies should notify the respective health departments
and NYSDEC of actions of this type and should not issue building
permits or certificates of occupancy without prior consent of the
health departments and NYSDEC. In the event that any incompatible
use is discontinued, it should permanently cease.
Existing commercial/ industrial facilities within the SGPAs
should be examined on an establishment by establishment basis by
the appropriate state or county agencies. A determination should
be made in each case as to whether the facility poses =a threat to
the groundwater and whether the installation of monitoring wells
33 Sunset provisions allow for the continuation of a use for
a limited period of time in order to permit the amortization of the
reasonable value of the investment in that use.
�, 45
R
is required. A person engaged in an activity that is found to have
the potential to adversely impact the groundwater, should be
required to develop and implement an approved monitoring and source
reduction plan and to obtain Health Department approval of the plan
in advance of implementation. If monitoring wells are installed,
the appropriate water supplier should be notified and should
receive copies of any monitoring well analytical data submitted to
the Health Department.
Specific Watershed Rules and Regulations - In addition to the above
general rules, the following specific activities should be
regulated under the SGPAs WRR®
SPDES Permits - All applicants for a permit under the New
York State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES)
should simultaneously submit a copy of the application and
supporting documentation to the respective water supplier.
These materials will be reviewed upon receipt, and if a
problem is detected, appropriate action taken. The water
supplier should also be notified of any SPDES permit that is
issued or violations that have occurred.
Spills - A spill is any intentional or unintentional
action or omission resulting in an unpermitted releasing, ,
spilling, discharging, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting,
emptying or dumping of any petroleum product, radioactive
material, toxic substance or any other potentially hazardous
material so that such items may enter the environment.
Any person who is the owner of, or in actual possession
46 t
or control of a potentially hazardous substance, or any agent
or employee thereof, or any person -in a contractual
relationship therewith, who is responsible for or has
knowledge of any spill, as defined above, which is likely to
have an adverse affect on water quality or quantity, shall
notify the respective health department NYSDEC and water
supplier as immediate as possible.
Cleanup of spills is the responsibility of the owner or,
in ,the case of material in transit,, cleanup is the
responsibility of the carrier..
All public water suppliers within the SGPAs should
establish and maintain an education program for source
reduction, which should include field inspections and outreach
communication with commercial and industrial establishments
that may pose a potential contamination threat.
Well sites on lands acquired for open space or watershed
protection by the State of'New York, either county, local
village and town governments should be made available to water
suppliers® Additionally, well sites on federal, state,
county, town and village preserves, park lands and golf
courses- should be made available in order to provide the
public with the highest quality water supply at the minimum
cost consistent with protection of unique ecosystems.
An exception to the WRR may be granted by the respective
health departments after appropriate study and review,based
on prior usage and unique local conditions. Such exceptions
l
47
q
will only be granted if the safety of the water supply system
will be protected. The Nassau and Suffolk County Departments
of Health should notify water suppliers of its bi-monthly
appellate procedures by providing meeting agendas, etc.
Wellhead Protection - In addition to watershed management for
the entire SGPAs, it is vital to protect existing or future
wellhead locations. All wells within SGPAs can be considered as
falling within two zones. The first, designated as the Zone of
Maximum Control (ZOMC) is that area immediately surrounding the
well for a minimum radius of 200 feet, or an area of approximately
3 acres. This zone should be under the direct control of the water
utility either through fee ownership or an easement in order to
provide direct protection from trespass, accidental contamination
or sabotage.
The second zone is the entire SGPA.All relevant regulations
and recommendations contained in this SGPA study should be
incorporated in the WRFC.
It is also essential that water utilities have the most
comprehensive and current knowledge of where -the water they draw
upon is coming from, and what the quality is of that water.
Through recent developments in both understanding, empirical
observations and computer and mathematical modelling,- kt is
possible to locate the source of water for unconfined'wells with
relative precision and to relate this information to areas of the
land surface, relative to a specific well or wellfield. In this
way,, areas around a well site can be mapped and managed so -.as to
48 �`°
provide a high degree of confidence that the well and the water it
produces is protected. The concept of mapping the source of water
around well sites or a water source is not new, but is implicit in
the Wellhead Protection Program mandated under the 1986 Safe
Drinking Water Act. Furthermore, DEC well permit applications
require the identification of the area of contribution to a
proposed well. For Long Island aquifers, the mapping of the zone
of contributions applies to upper glacial aquifer or shallow
Magothy wells in areas where there is no upper glacial aquifer or
confining clay layer.
In order to identify and map the zone of contribution for each
well it is essential to establish sufficient monitoring wells and
to maintain a continuous periodic measuring program. Therefore,
water utilities should initiate or expand their efforts to produce
this information, and the county health departments should adopt
WRRs that require that this work be undertaken. DEC should require
this for all new or renewed well permits.
It is also recommended that the water utilities maintain up-
to-date maps and inventories for all existing activities that have
the potential to impair the quality of the water produced by their
wells. Appendix B contains a set of discussions that apply to
wellhead protection.
49
Best Management Practices
Residential - Outside of the areas to be acquired or those
parcels in open space use, residential uses are expected to be the
major land category. Therefore, turf and landscape management
practices by developers and individual homeowners become
significant in protecting the groundwater. On woodlands,
especially the pine barrens, there are recommendations to limit
clearing and the subsequent need for introduction of turfgrass.
See Appendix C for Suffolk County Pine Barrens Commission clearance
standards for each zoning category.
In areas that are already cleared and require new landscaping,
the amount of fertilizer, watering and the overall use of grassed
areas has to be controlled.
Extensive research has been done on the use;- of nitrogen
fertilizer on turfgrass at the Long Island Horticultural Research
Laboratory, and at golf courses and cemeteries as well as on
individual lawns. These studies included fertilizer leaching,
comparison of the types and solubility of fertilizers used, timing
of applications and variety of grasses used.
Perhaps the most important recommendation for turf management
relative to nitrate use has been the recommendation for increased
use of Fescue varieties of grass that require less irrigation and
less fertilizer.
This applied research has resulted in a reduction in the
amount of fertilizer that is recommended for most grass varieties.
50 t
A total of one pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet per year,
delivered in several applications is suggested. In order to
minimize the potential for leaching to the groundwater, different
types of fertilizers are recommended, depending on the .season.
The irrigation requirements, varietal response and soil types
have been studied with revised recommendations allowing for the
minimal use of irrigation water and potential for leaching.
Agriculture -
Pesticides:
Use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) principles:
1.
Make best use of cultural practices such as crop
rotation, resistant or tolerant varieties, time of
planting, spacing, and use of mulch to prevent
disease, weed and insect problems.
2.
Establish and use economic thresholds, for pest
management and control.
3.
Use biological controls when possible and practical.
4.
Use the minimum quantity of pesticide needed for
proper control.
5.
Use pesticides having the least negative
t
environmental effect with particular attention to
ground water.
Water Use:
Establish
systems that provide for the most efficient use of
irrigation water to crops:
1.
Use management practices that provide for the most
efficient crop growth such as proper use of lime-
stone, fertilizer, crop rotation and cover crops.
2. Make use of trickle irrigation where practical.
3. Manage irrigation based on crop needs, soil reser-
ves, plant transpiration, stage of crop growth, etc.
4. Establish permanent cover crops especially on highly
erodible land and perennial crops.
5. Establish sod swales where necessary to retain and
allow for percolation of surface water.
6. Use good soil conservation practices such as
subsoiling or chiseling, contour farming, use of
filter strips, diversions.
There are already areas of protected farmland in the SGPA's
and The plan recommends the preservation of additional acreage to
maintain this important industry. In order for agricultural land
uses to co -exist with groundwater protection, the agricultural
industry must follow best management practices to minimize the
leaching of fertilizers, and pesticides or their components to
groundwater.
The following recommendations cover the three areas where
farming practices as recommended by the Cooperative Extension- would
make agriculture compatible with groundwater protection.,
These are Best Management Practices (BMP) for use by farmers
on' Long Island to minimize the amount of fertilizers (primarily
nitrates) and pesticides leaching to the ground water.
Fertilizers:
52
1. Use pH and mineral analysis to determine soil fertility.
2. Adjust pH to"makimize fertilizer usage by the crop.
3. Limit the use of nitrogen based on crop needs and uptake.
4. Adjust timing, placement, and method of fertilizer
applications to maximize crop uptake and utilization.
5. Limit applications at planting and adjust sidedress
applications based on plant needs.
6. Use minimum till practices where possible to lessen the
potential of groundwater contamination.
7. Use cover crops.
The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, along
with research support from Cornell University at Ithaca and the
Long Island Horticultural Research Laboratory at Riverhead, has the
major role in establishing and keeping the BMP current. Other
agricultural agencies involved in implementing BMP include the U.S.
Soil Conservation Service; Agricultural Stabilization and
Conservation District, Suffolk County Soil and Water .Conservation
Service, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, and
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Reduction.. of fertilizer use makes good economic sense,
especially since this is a high cost item. - Pesticides are
necessary to control some of the persistent pests, but awareness
of soil properties,' correct timing, increased reliance on
biological controls and use of pesticides at the lowest effective
application rate may reduce the need for agricultural chemicals and
lessen the resultantimpact on the water supply,.
53
The ongoing shifts in agricultural activities that are
occurring on Long Island, such as conversion from potato fields to
orchards and vineyards, are beneficial since they allow the use of
irrigation practices that limit the waste of valuable water.
Recreational Uses - Golf courses account for 5,446 acres in
all of the SGPAs. Proper management of these acres is important
in protecting groundwater. The conversion of golf courses to
residential development has fortunately been limited to a few
locations, most notably the Links Club in the North Hills SGPA.
Additional conversions can lead to more contamination, if proper
management techniques are not followed. See Appendix I for the
Cooperative Extension recommendations for golf courses.
Commercial/Industrial - New commercial or industrial land is
severely restricted in the SGPAs. However, where these uses are
recommended, natural areas should be retained on the site. For
cleared sites, the use of drought -resistant landscaping is
recommended. See the Non -Point Source Handbook* for specific
practices to protect groundwater.
54
INDIVIDUAL SGPAs '
I
A
0
Introduction
This chapter contains the analysis and plan recommendations for
each of the SGPAs. In essence, the following pages represent the
greater part of the staff input over the three year period of the study.
Several sets of inventory data were collected in order -to
facilitate characterization of the environmental and physical conditions
of each SGPA. The data cover land use; zoning; soils and topography;
vegetation associations, rare and,endangered species and significant
habitats; surface waters and freshwater wetlands; hydrogeology including
geology, watertable contours, groundwater divide; groundwater flow,
water supply including well locations, groundwater pumpage, and water
quality data; and pollution sources. A brief general description of the
methodologies used for each SGPA follows this introduction.
Additional, material has been abstracted from a recently completed
Suffolk study that contains a comprehensive set of recommendations for
County purchase of lands for water protectio.31
n. These lands were to be
acquired with funding from the County's 1/4 cent sales tax program. An
attempt was made to rationalize priorities for purchase by defining
subwatersheds within SGPAs as areas meriting first consideration. The
principles used in the study are incorporated in this report and the
parcels recommended for each SGPA are in accord with the County program.
See Appendix D for a description of the Suffolk County Program.
The balance of the chapter contains the discussion and
recommendations for each SGPA.
31 Halpin, Patrick G., The Suffolk County Drinking Water Protection
Program, Hauppauge, N.Y., October 1990.
55
SGPA Land Use Methodology
The first step in the identification and mapping of existing land
use required a determination of the degree of.specificity necessary for
,,the investigation. In this case, it was especially important to
identify land uses that could have significant impacts upon groundwater
quality. Appendix Table 1 lists the land use categories that were
,identified and inventoried by field investigators. The New York State
Division of Equalization and Assessment property type classification
'code breakdowns were used.
Nassau and Suffolk County real property tax map sections were
assembled for each SGPA to allow parcel -specific identification of land
uses. The accuracy of this information was checked in two ways. First,
recent aerial photographs were reviewed and compared with file data.
Appendix Table 2 lists the aerial photographs used in this analysis.
'Second, field verifications were conducted in 1988 and 1989 to improve
,upon the accuracy and specificity of the land use data. Even with field
'inspection, interpretations were required in those instances where the
nature of the land use was not readily apparent. Once land uses had
been identified and interpretations made, land use codes were assigned
to base map parcels.
The land use data was then used as input in the development of a
,computer generated base map, utilizing a geographic information system
(GIS). Land use codes were transferred from the base map to the GIS
'base map. It was necessary to modify the GIS base map by removing
parcel boundary lines in those instances where parcels of similar land
use were adjacent to'one another. This was done to improve map clarity
while maintaining accuracy. Once large scale machine -generated maps
56
a
III
were printed, their accuracy was checked against field maps. Utilizing
the GIS statistical capability, the acreage figures for each land use
code within each SGPA were calculated.
Town zoning maps were reviewed and the information transferred to
draft land use maps in order to facilitate calculation of the potential
yield if all the vacant, agricultural, private recreational and estate
land were to be developed. Since the Towns of Brookhaven and Riverhead
were in the process of amending their codes, the proposed amendments
were used in place of the existing codes.
The acreage in each zoning category was quantified and presented in
tabular form. The maximum number of new residential units was
calculated by applying the appropriate yield per acre factor for each
zoning category to the number of unplatted available acres in that
category.
The estimated saturation population was calculated by multiplying
the anticipated number of residential units at saturation by a projected
household size factor.
Soils and Topography
An inventory of soil associations was conducted for each SGPA.
Information was obtained from the following sources: Soil Survey of
Suffolk Countv, New York (USDA, Soil Conservation Service, 1975) and
Soil Survev of Nassau County, New York (USDA, Soil Conservation Service,
1987). A brief description of the major soil associations found within
the SGPAs is provided in Table 4.
57
R
Table 4
Description of soil associations found within Long Island's SGPAs
Bridgehamnton-Haven association: Deep, nearly level to gently sloping,
well drained to moderately well -drained, medium -textured soils on
outwash plains.
Carver -Plymouth -Riverhead association: Deep, rolling, excessively
drained and well -,drained, coarse-textured and moderately coarse-textured
soils on moraines.
Dune land -Tidal marsh -Beaches association: Sand dunes, tidal marches,
.and beaches of the barrier beach and south shore.
Haven -Riverhead association: Deep, nearly level to gently sloping,
well -drained, medium -textured and moderately coarse-textured soils on
outwash plains.
Montauk, sandv variant-Plvmouth association: Deep, rolling and; hilly,
excessively drained, coarse-textured soils on moraines.
Montauk -Enfield association: Dominantly nearly level to strongly
,sloping, well -drained, medium -textured and moderately coarse-textured
soils; on,knolls and hills.
'Montauk -Haven -Riverhead association: Deep, nearly level to strongly
sloping, well -drained to moderately well -drained, moderately
coarse-textured soils on moraines.
Plymouth -Carver association, nearly level and undulating: Deep,
'excessively drained, coarse-textured soils on outwash plains.
,Plymouth -Carver association, rolling and hilly: Deep, excessively
drained, coarse-textured soils on moraines.
I
Riverhead -Plymouth -Carver association: Deep, nearly level to gently
sloping, well -drained and excessively drained, moderately
coarse-textured and coarse-textured soils on the southern outwash plain.
'Urban Land-Montauk_Riverhead association: Dominantly urban land and
'nearly level to strongly sloping, well -drained, medium -textured and
moderately coarse-textured soils; on low hills.
Riverhead -Plymouth association: Dominantly moderately steep or steep,
we'll -drained and excessively drained, moderately coarse-textured and
coarse-textured soils; on hillsides.
Riverhead -Enfield -Urban land association: Dominantly nearly level to
strongly sloping, well -drained, moderately coarse-textured and
medium -textured soils and urban land; on low hills and ridge.
58.
Vegetation Associations
The major vegetation associations, i.e., trees; shrubs' and grasses
found in each SGPA are identified in the section of this chapter dealing
with the individual SGP.As.
Rare and Endangered Species and Significant Habitats
An inventory of rare and -endangered species was prepared utilizing
data collected by the New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation and the Nature Conservancy. The inventory cataloged those
native species and habitats that should be preserved in order to
maintain the highest quality examples of the State's natural
communities. It concentrates on plant and animal species considered
rare, threatened, or endangered, plus terrestrial and aquatic habitats
and other unique natural features. It is important to note, however,
that this data collection effort is ongoing and the data should`not be
considered a. complete compilation of all habitat information within
these areas.
Surface Waters and Freshwater Wetlands
Freshwater wetlands include fresh surface waters with associated
emergent and submergent vegetation, as well as bogs, swamps and upland
wet woods. Wetlands located within the SGPAs were identified, utilizing
the New York State Freshwater Wetlands Interim Maps and Descriptions.
Wetland boundaries were`located on USGS quadrangle maps at a scale of
1'-2,000'.
Each wetland is listed in one of four classes, ranked according to
the degree of ecological benefit that each wetland type provides. A
a ,.
59.
r
Class I wetland is considered most valuable. The degree to which
wetlands yield benefits depends upon many factors, including the
vegetative cover, ecological associations, special features,
hydrological and pollution control features, and distribution and
;location. Table 5 lists.the acreage of freshwater wetlands found in
each SGPA.
Table 5
Acreage of Freshwater Wetlands Within each SGPA*
SGPA Acres
North Hills SGPA 42
Oyster Bay SGPA 378
West Hills -Melville SGPA 91
Oak Brush Plains SGPA 0
South Setauket Woods SGPA 8
Central Suffolk SGPA 4,361
South Fork SGPA 907
Hither Hills SGPA 297
Southold SGPA 26
Grand Total 6,130
*These data were obtained from the NYSDEC Region I Office, Stony Brook,
N.Y. in August 1990. However, acreage estimates were made for the
North Hills SGPA and the Oyster Bay SGPA Pilot Area by LIRPB.
Hydrogeologic Overview Procedure - The Nassau County Department of
Health and the Nassau County Department of Public Works provided
hydrogeologic, water use, water supply and contaminant source
!information for the North Hills and the Oyster Bay SGPAs. The Suffolk
County Department of Health Services furnished comparable data for the
'remaining SGPAs.
(Nassau County material to be added)
60
I'm
N
0
Hydrogeologic/water quality overviews for Suffolk's SGPAs were
prepared by the Suffolk County Department of -Health Services' Division
of Environmental Quality, Bureau of Hydrogeology and Licensing. Each
overview consisted of descriptions and assessments of the following:
- location - water supply
- geology - water quality
- groundwater flow - pollution sources
Overview maps were also prepared for each SGPA showing groundwater
divides, flow directions, well fields, pollution sources, and other
pertinent info.; SGPA base maps (scale 1"=100') and/or USGS Quadrangle
Maps (scale 1"=2000') were used.
Location: SGPA boundaries were compared with the locations of regional
and subregional groundwater divides, and the boundaries of hydrogeologic
zones, delineated during the Nassau -Suffolk 208 Study.
Geology: Summaries of local geology were prepared based on data
contained in published United States Geological Survey reports, and logs
of exploratory wells previously installed by the SCDHS' Office of
Groundwater Resources.
Groundwater Flow: Descriptions of groundwater flow patterns and
assessments of the susceptibility of deeper aquifer segments to surface
contamination were developed using geological data, and water table and
Magothy potentiometric surface maps regularly prepared by the USGS and
SCDHS.
Groundwater Pumpage: Data for public supply wells within and .adjacent
to each SGPA were culled from records of the New York State Department
of Environmental Conservation's Office of Water Supply.
Water Quality: Quality conditions for public and private wells within
and proximate to each SGPA .were summarized based on data provided by the
61
i —
SCDHS' Office of Drinking Water. Additional groundwater data were
obtained from SCDHS' Office of Groundwater Resources monitoring network
and investigation files, which were used to assess the impacts of
agricultural activities and industrial spills of organic chemicals."
Pollution Sources: Potential sources of groundwater contamination were
identified from files maintained by the SCDHS' Office of Hazardous
Materials and Office of Environmental Engineering and Pollution Control.
Such sources included sewage treatment plants, pipelines, landfills, and
facilities storing hazardous materials (under Suffolk Sanitary Code
hArticle 12 permits). The New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation's ,Office of Spill Response provided data on petroleum
spills. Additional potential sources were identified using the results
of the Cornell University airphoto inventory (CLEARS).
Plan Maps
The maps for the individual SGPAs reflect a range of policy
recommendations dealing with land use categories, acquisitions, and
other techniques needed to preserve the deep recharge locations.
These recommendations, together with others that do not lend
themselves to visual presentation, are listed in the text for each area.
The information shown on the maps was originally coded by individual tax.
map and land use parcels. The plan maps show three categories of
residential use and single categories of commercial, industrial, public,
and utility uses.
The residential densities are generally based on .the prevailing
zoning unless there are overall recommendations to rezone the property
to a lower intensity use. Therefore;,low density or high density could
be somewhat different depending on the general land use and zoning_
62 „
A
pattern of the locale. A category of estate residential land is shown
for the Oyster Bay portion of the SGPA. This category includes large
holdings.that should be redeveloped at the lowest possible density to
retain as much open space as is practical. Villages in the Oyster Bay
area use clustering to a very limited extent: Therefore, the general
cluster recommendations in most of the other SGPAs would not be fully
applicable here.
Clusters of commercial land are indicated mainly where there are
existing uses of this type. Where new commercial development occurs in
an SGPA area,the plan calls for adhering to strict clearing standards
to preserve some open space. The same is true of the industrial
category. Some industrial clusters shown are contemplated in areas
where there is very low density industrial land; i.e., 5 acre minimum
lot sizes that can be clustered to preserve some open space.
The plan maps show a series of key acquisition parcels in each of
the SGPAs. Selection of parcels was based on data from the County
Health Departments and'the Suffolk County Water Authority relative to
groundwater divides,, water flow patterns and the relationship to tracts
of land to well sites that do or could produce high quality water and on
the Suffolk County Acquisition Plan.
In order to supplement the acquisitions, many areas have been
designated as cluster. -tracts. These locations require the clustering of
development on a portion of the land and the dedication of the remainder
as open space and, wherever possible, to.achieve contiguity with nearby
preserved tracts. - Clusters can also be used to create reserve areas
that can be used for future water resources.
63
There is some farmland located in deep -,,recharge areas, and the plan
identifies three ways to preserve additional farmland; the purchase of
farmland development rights, the clustering of new development to
preserve the large tracts of productive farmland, and the use of
transfer of development rights. 'The latter is recommended where
preserved farmland totally surrounds land that is still available for
development and where the development of that property would have an
adverse impact on the farmland. Other sections of this report deal with
the impact of farmland on groundwater and how certain farming activities
tan be accommodated without degradation of the water resources.
The purchase of development rights to preserve farmland is an
ongoing Suffolk County program and it is -expected that some expansion
will occur based on current funds and policies. In addition, the plan
shows a few locations where the purchase of development rights could be
used to preserve woodlands to protect an existing or proposed well site.
Planned unit developments.or mixed use zones are shown for a couple
of locations where -'the transportation network, zoning, or adjoining land
use justify a mix of activities. The idea of a mixed use development
would be to allow various activities regarded as compatible with
groundwater protection, while also requiring the developer to set aside
a certain amount of open space in conjunction with the development.
The plan also calls for modification and/or elimination of certain
land use categories that are considered undesirable within SGPAs. These
include some landfills, sand mines, and other potentially contaminating
j commercial and industrial uses.
Thelan calls for the replatting a g
P �'clusterin of a number of
64
A,
areas. These are old filed maps which, if developed according to the
current ownership patterns, would produce either a higher density than
would be desirable or a land use pattern that would not preserve open
space.
SGPA Plan Summary - The overall SGPA Plan calls for 469 of all property
to remain in open space (see Table 6). This would mean that of the
207,000 acres in the study area, more than 96,000 would remain natural
for watershed protection.
Existing open space and protected farmland account for 26% of all
the land area. Another 7% is to be permanently protected through the
acquisition of woodlands and the purchase of farmland development
rights. Another --149 is to be preserved through the use of clustering of
residential development on both woodland and farmland site., planned unit
development, industrial clusters and replatted old filed maps. Woodland
clusters should preserve at least 339 of the 22,000 acres of land,
permitting it to remain in its natural state. Cluster housing on 12,000
acres of farmland could preserve 759 or 9,000 acres of protected
farmland. Any planned unit developments that are constructed should
have at least 259 of the land retained for open space. The same is true
for the limited amount of industrial land that is in large enough
parcels to,;permit clustering. Any replatting of old filed maps should
attempt to set aside 509 of -the land as open space.
About 389 of all of the SGPA,land is expected to be used for
residential purposes. Most of this residential land is now developed at
a low or medium density, and vacant land is expected to be developed at
low density.
65
Table 6 Plan Land Use (acres) in all SGPAs
Land Use Category
Residential
Vacant
Underwater Land
Commercial
Industrial
Institutional
Utilities
Open Space
Agricultural
Others*
Total
SGPA Plan Land Use
78,279
0
1,421
2,687
2,467
12,591
11,812
79,147
17,081
1,878
207,363
*"'Others" includes plan options,. such as planned unit development,
landfill reclamation, relocation, etc., that could not be assigned to
a specific land use category.
The small parcels of industrial or commercial uses are mostly
existing parcels or are infill parcels that re totally surrounded by
non-residential uses. The abandonment or relocation of some conforming
or non -conforming industrial uses is expected to offset some of the
infill, so that the general industrial and commercial total will account
for 2 1/2% of the land, exclusive of any planned unit developments or
industrial clusters that have an open space component. Institutional
land utility uses will continue to account for about 12% of the SGPA.
AN
North Hills SGPA
General Background - One of the smallest of the nine Special Groundwater
Protection Areas, the North Hills SGPA, covers 2,900 acres or approxi-
mately 4.5 .square miles. The greater portion of the SGPA is located to
the north of the Long Island Expressway between Lakeville Road and
Searingtown Road. The remainder is located to the south of the Express-
way from the New York City line to Shelter Rock Road. A detailed
description of the SGPA boundaries may be found in Appendix B.
The one remaining western Nassau area with over 60 percent of its
land in low intensity recreational and residential uses, this SGPA
comprises the entire Village of North Hills and part of the Village of
Lake Success and approximately one-third of the unincorporated Manhasset
area in the Town of North Hempstead.
Although formerly an enclave of large estates, private country
clubs and County parkland; the SGPA has sustained major increases in
population during recent years, as condominiums and single family homes
have replaced private open space.. From 1980 to 1988, the number of area
residents increased by more than 75 percent, to an estimated 4,846
persons; and the pressure to develop much of the remaining acreage
continues.
Soils and Topography - This SGPA contains two different soil associa-
tions. Approximately 807 of the area consists of the Montauk -Enfield
soil association. These are well -drained, medium -textured to course -
textured soils that range from nearly level to strongly sloping. The
steeper parts are found on hillsides or along sides of drainage ways.
The less sloping areas are on broad ridgetops and hillcrests or on foot
slopes. Slope ranges from 0 to 15 percent. The Montauk soils in this
67
association have a dense, slowly permeable substratum that hinders
efficient sewage disposal, while Enfield soils have a rapidly permeable
substratum that is a poor filter of effluent, and thus may pose the
threat of pollution to groundwater.
An Urban Land -Montauk -Riverhead soil association touches the
northern and eastern boundaries of the North Hills SGPA and covers
approximately 20% of the area. These medium -textured and moderately
coarse-textured soils are found on slopes ranging from 0 to 15 percent.
The greater part of this acreage is in urban use. The open soil areas
are generally in lawns, gardens, or playgrounds in residential areas;
however, there are a few moderately large wooded tracts, mostly in areas
of very poorly drained soils.
Onsite sewage disposal is limited in the Montauk soils because of
the moderately slow or slow permeability in the substratum. Generally,
the Riverhead soils are suitable for homesites but, in places, slope
limits building and the substratum is a poor filter of effluent, causing
a pollution hazard to the groundwater-.
Vegetation Associations - Most of the remaining open space in the North
Hills SGPA area has been disturbed. and consists mainly of golf courses
and old estates. The remaining wooded area consists of an upland
deciduous forest association characterized by mixed oaks - - mostly red
- with moisture -loving species, such as tulip tree, American beech,
red maple and black birch dominating the canopy. Flowering dogwood
usually forms a tree understory, while maple -leaved viburnum and/or
spice bush are common shrubs. Probably the most ecologically signifi-
cant woodland in the study area is the remaining portion of what has
been identified as the Grace Forest, located between the Long Island
MT
A
Expressway South Service Road, New Hyde Park Road, the Northern State
Parkway, and Shelter Rock Road. Other deciduous woodlands. can be found
on the Payson -Whitney Estates along with ornamental trees and shrubs,
G
pasture and brush indicative of previously disturbed areas.
Rare and Endangered Species and Significant Habitats - No natural
i
Heritage Program elements have been found in the North Hills SGPA to
date.
Surface Waters and Freshwater Wetlands - The surface waters and freshwa-
ter wetlands within the North Hills SGPA consist of Lake Success.,
located in the southeast corner of the SGPA, and Whitney Pond located in
the northern,portion of the study area south of Route 25A. Additional
wetland acreage is located within close to Whitney Pond. Altogether,
there are 62 acres of freshwater wetlands in this SGPA:
Hydrogeology -The North Hills SGPA is located in Hydrogeologio Zone 1
within several different sutficial geologic boundaries primarily typi-
fied by morainal deposits. Specifically, the north and northwestern
Sectors of the SGPA are made up of Harbor Hill and morainal deposits
consisting of till with stratified sand and gravel. An isolated lobe of
Ronkonkoma terminal morainal deposits, also consisting of till with
stratified sand and gravel', lies in the central and southeastern sectors
i
of the SGPA. ;The northeast and southwestern sectors consist of Harbor
Hill outwash deposits made up'of stratified sand and gravel. These
glacial deposits range in thickness from 100 to 220 feet.
The Magothy aquifer,, directly underlying the glacial deposits,
ranges in thickness from 100 feet in the northwestern sector of the,SGPA
V
to 200 to 300 feet in most other areas. The Magothy consists mainly of
lenticular and discontinuous beds of very fine to medium sand, ,commonly
M
a
clayey or containing thin clay lenses,,that'are interbedded with clay
and sandy clay, silt and some sand and gravel. A greater occurrence of
clayey zones in the upper portion of the Magothy causes water to become
increasingly confined with depth. A narrow north -south trending chan-
nel, extending southward from the head of Manhasset Bay, cuts through
Magothy deposits and is filled with Harbor Hill outwash material as well
as ice contact deposits.
There are no known confining units within the glacial deposits or
4
the Magothy aquifer that are of continuous nature. However, as is
'common with morainal material, beds of glacial till can support perched
water tables or retard the downward movement of water (recharge) to the
water table. Within about two-thirds of .the SGPA, the water table can
be found in the Magothy aquifer. Any increases in consumptive use,
whether the result of sewering and marine discharge, irrigation or other
activities that exceed recharge can be expected to reduce the volume of
freshwater stored in the aquifer and cause long term declines in water
table elevations. Since the groundwater underlying the SGPA is part of
A larger system, water table elevations may be affected by the extent of
consumptive use both within and outside the SGPA.
Groundwater Flow - The regional groundwater divide is located close to'
the southern boundary of the SGPA, south of the Long Island Expressway.
The primary direction of horizontal flow is northwest with a more
westerly component near the southern boundary of the SGPA. Shallow
groundwater flow velocities within the SGPA range between .one and one
and one-half feet per day. Recharge in the SGPA will discharge to
Manhasset Bay on both the east and west flanks of the bay near the bases
of the Great Neck and Port Washington peninsulas. Recharge reaching the,
70
N
7"
Magothy aquifer will travel toward the Great Neck Peninsula for eventual
discharge to Little Neck Bay and the Long Island Sound through overlying
Pleistocene deposits. The groundwater divide and the direction of flow
are indicated on Map 1.
Water Supply - The Manhasset-Lakeville'Water district provides potable
water to most residents and other consumers in the area. Three other
water districts serve small portions of the SGPA. The Garden City Park
Water District serves the Links Golf Course area, which is now devel-
oped; the Albertson Water District serves a small area to the east of
Searingtown Road, north of the Expressway, and the Roslyn Water District
serves the remainder of the SGPA to the east of Searingtown Road.
There are a total of 20 active and inactive public supply wells at
13 well fields located within or immediately adjacent to the SGPA. Two,
of the wells are screened in the Upper Glacial acquifer; 16, in the
Magothy and 2 in the Lloyd. An additional seven active wells are
located within one mile downgradient. Table 7 lists the wells by
location and well number and indicates the aquifer from which water is
withdrawn, permitted capacity and 1990 pumpage.
Fourteen of the wells are sited within the boundaries of the SGPA.
Two of them, in Nassau County's Christopher Morley Park, belong to the
Port Washington Water District, which has been unable to provide ade-
quate pumpage within its own service area.
The total 1990 average daily pumpage of roughly 7.0 mgd from within
the SGPA represents about 20% of the permitted capacity of all sites.
The,1990 withdrawal of'7.06 mgd was distributed by aquifer as follows:
Upper glacial - less than 1%, Magothy - 89%, and Lloyd - 10.2%. The
71
Manhasset -Lakeville Water District intends to bring a new Magothy well
(N-11509) on line this summer. This will be located within the SGPA
(Shelter Rock Road, Grace Field development) and will have a .permitted
capacity of 2.02 mgd.
Well Sites Within and Adjacent to
the North Hills SGPA
Manhasset -Lakeville Shelter Rock
Manhasset -Lakeville Valley Road
Manhasset -Lakeville Searingtown lit
Manhasset-�Lakeville Parkway #1
Manhasset -Lakeville Parkway #2
Manhasset -Lakeville Cumberland
Manhasset -Lakeville Searingtown lit
Manhasset -Lakeville Water District
Manhasset -Lakeville Campbell #1
Manhasset -Lakeville Water District
Manhasset -Lakeville Campbell lit
Manhasset -Lakeville Water District
Manhasset -Lakeville Water District
Manhasset -Lakeville Water District
Garden'City Park Water'District
Garden Zity Park Water District
Garden 'City Park Water District
Port Washington Water District
Port Washington Water District
Roslyn Vater District
Well Sites Downgradient of SGPA
Table 7
1990
NYS Well # Aquifer Permitted Capacity Pumpage
N-01328
Lloyd
2.16
mgd
0.71
mgd
N-01618.,
Lloyd
2.16
mgd
0.01
mgd
N-.02028
Magothy
2.09
mgd
0.00
mgd
N-03905
Upper Glacial
1.51
mgd
0.01
mgd,
N-04243
Upper Glacial
1.51
mgd
0.,00
mgd
N-05099
Magothy
1.51
mgd
0.47
mgd
N-05528
Magothy
1.51
mgd
0.00
mgd
N-05710
Magothy
2.02
mgd
0.00
mgd
N-07126
Magothy
2.02
mgd
0.21
mgd
N-07651
Magothy
2.02
mgd
0.00
mgd
N-07892
Magothy
2.02
mgd
0.41
mgd
N-10557
Magothy
1.94
mgd
1.47
mgd
N-10889
Magothy
1.94
mgd,
1.29
mgd
N-11509*
Magothy
2.02
mgd
0.00
mgd
N-06945
Magothy
1.73
mgd
0.08'
mgd
N-09768
Magothy
1.73
mgd
0.69
mgd
N-10612
Magothy
1.73
mgd
0.35
mgc
N-07551
Magothy
2.02
mgd
0.00
mgd
N-07552
Magothy
2.02
mgd
0.61
mgd
N-04623
Magothy
1.73 mgd
0.76 mgc
35.37
mgd
7.06
mgQ
1990
NYS Well li Aquifer Permitted Capacity Pumpage
Manhasset -Lakeville Munsey
Park
N-03523
Glacial
1.37
mgd
0.28
mge
Manhasset -Lakeville E.
Shore Road
N-07747
Upper Glacial
2.30
mgd
0.2'8
mgc
Manhasset -Lakeville E.
Shore Road
N-09308
Lloyd
2.02
mgd
0.87
mgd
Water Authority Great
Neck
North
N-00022
Magothy
1.54
mgd
0.22
mgd
Water Authority Great
Neck
North
N-04388
Magothy
1.80
mgd
0.66
mgc
Water Authority Great
Neck
North
N-00700
Upper Glacial
1.44
mgd
0.16
mgG
Water Authority Great
Neck
North
N-08342
Lloyd
1.51 mgd
0.57 mgd
11.98
mgd
3..04
mgc
*under,construction
Water Quality - Public water supply testing by the Nassau County Depart-
ment of Health and the water suppliers and monitoring well testing by the
Nassau County Department of Public Works indicated that groundwater
quality within and adjacent to the North Hills SGPA is generally good with
72
N
some areas of excellent quality (good: nitrate 1-6 parts per million (ppm)
with only intermittent traces of volatile organic chemicals; excellent:
ambient, with nitrate less than 1 ppm and no organics detected). Based on
the most recent testing, public water supply well volatile organic chemi-
cal (VOC) quality in most parts of the SGPA is excellent with the excep-
tion of that in the eastern border areas.
In the past, the two Manhasset -Lakeville Water District's glacial
wells in the southwest corner of the SGPA have exhibited volatile organics
contamination. The District is installing an air stripping plant to
remove VOCs; however, at present the wells show no detectable VOCs.
Twelve of the 15 Magothy wells are located along and directly outside of
the eastern boundary of the SGPA. Six of these wells contain total VOCs
ranging from 2.1 to 25.3 parts per billion (ppb), while the remaining six
Cdo not contain detectable levels of VOCs. The most significant contamina-
tion occurs in a Manhasset -Lakeville Water District well located just
outside of the boundary in the southeastern section of the SGPA.
Tetrachloroethylene, a solvent commonly used by dry cleaners, makes up 25
ppb of the 25.3 ppb total VOCs in this well. This well is currently
removed from service and no plans for treatment are being considered at
present. One well, located just north of the two Glacial wells in the
southwestern portion of the SGPA mentioned above, will be treated by the
air -stripping plant being built to treat the two Glacial wells.
The most significantly contaminated well within the SGPA is a Port
Washington Water District well located at Christopher Morley.Park, east of
Searingtown Road and north of the Long Island Expressway. This well
contains 16.5 ppb of total VOCs of which tetrachloroethylene.at 11.0 ppb,
makes up the largest share of the contamination. A second, slightly
73
M
deeper well (469 feet vs. 454 feet) is -located at this same site but
contains only 2.1 ppb of total VOCs. The Port Washington Water District
has installed a Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) unit to remove the VOCs
from the most highly contaminated well.. Other wells affected by VOCs
include two Garden City Park Water District wells located adjacent to a
residential -commercial area at the southeastern extremity of the SGPA.
The wells contain total VOCs in the 6 ppb range. The water supplier is
building an air -stripping -plant to treat these two wells. The remaining
Magothy well located in the northeastern corner of the SGPA near the
eastern boundary contains 2.6 ppb of total VOCs and is located next to a
I
well containing no VOC contamination. Both of these wells are at the same
approximate depth and are operated by the Manhasset -Lakeville -Water
Drstrict. The district is planning VOC removal by air -stripping to treat
both of these wells.
Two additional Magothy public supply wells exist in the SGPA. One
well is located on the northern border in the central portion of the SGPA.
This well contains less than 1 ppb of_total VOCs and is next to a. Lloyd
well that contains no VOCs. The other Magothy well -is located outside of
the eastern border of the SGPA and contains no VOCs. There .is a second
Lloyd well in the western region of the SGPA. This well also shows no VOC
contamination.
Two monitoring wells within the SGPA were tested. Both of these are
Glacial wells, located along Community Drive in the western portion of the
SGPA. No VOCs were detected in either.of these wells.
Four of the public supply wells within the SGPA are out of service.
Of these, three are restricted and have been withdrawn from service due to
concentrations of several organics in excess of the current stringent_
74•
State standards.. A fourth well is adjacent to a restricted -:well and, were
it to be pumped, it would'draw water from approximately the -same depth.
Nitrates in the Glacial aquifer vary from non-detectable (N.D.). to
7.37 ppm in the western portion of the SGPA. This is the only area,
however, where Glacial wells exist. The 7.37 ppm concentration was found
in a monitoring well that is located adjacent to an existing golf course.
The next highest nitrate concentration'detected in a Glacial well was 2.1
ppm.
Nitrates in the Magothy vary from N.D. to 7.5 ppm. All of the data
for this aquifer come from public supply wells. No nitrate levels•were
found in excess of the current drinking water standard of 10.0 ppm as
nitrogen. Nitrate -levels greater than -4.0 ppm were generally found in
wells located in or adjacent to existing or former golf courses or parks.
Nitrate concentrations in the Lloyd aquifer, based on only two Lloyd
public supply wells, reflect ambient conditions, with levels less than 1
ppm.
Approximately two-thirds of the -area is sewered. The remainder must
rely on onsite systems.
The Village of Lake Success portion of the SGPA is severed, as is a
major part of -the Village of North Hills. Sewage from Lake Success is
handled by the Belgrave Water Pollution Control District, while that from
North Hills is handled by'Nassau County°s New Hyde.Park and Albertson
Williston Collection Districts, which transmit the sewage to the Bay Park
treatment facility.. The treated effluent is discharged to•marine waters.
Land Use - There is a mix of land uses consisting of recreation and open
space; estates; low, medium and high density housing;'institutions,
transportation and utilities; and commerce. The two major land use
75
s
categories, estates and recreation - primarily golf courses and County
parklands - - and open space occupy 717 acres and 126 acres, respectively,
and together account for approximately 29 percent of the total acreage.
High density, residential uses and institutional uses rank third and
fourth in importance; occupying another 240 acres and 290 acres, respec-
tively. Medium and low density residential uses, transportation and
utilities and commercial/industrial'uses occupy the remainder of the area.
Table 8 presents a summary of total acreage by land use category.
The preponderance of the estate and recreational properties are
located in the northern sector of the SGPA, while the highest density
residential uses are located in the easterly portion of both sectors. The
fifteen institutional uses are scattered throughout the SGPA; however, the
two largest institutional uses - - Great Neck South High School and the
North Shore Hospital - - are located along Lakeville Road south of the
'Expressway and along Community Drive north of the Expressway, respective-
ly, in the western portion of the area. The Expressway and the Northern
State Parkway, Lakeville Road, Community Drive, New Hyde Park, Road,
Shelter Rock Road and Searingtown Road traverse portions of the area. The
single largest commercial use, the Abraham and Straus store and adjacent
shops, is located at Community Drive and Northern Boulevard. There are a
small number of additional commercial uses, including medical and other
office buildings along Community Drive, and several office buildings along
i
the south service road of the Expressway and New Hyde Park Road. There is
I
a small non -conforming industrial use, a junkyard that occupies less than
an acre, in the Village of North Hills. See Map 2.
76•
M
Table 8 Existing Land Use (acres) in the
North Hills --SGPA, 1989.
Land Use Category
Existing
Land Use
'Percent of
Total*
Residential
1,292
44.6
Vacant
171
5.9
Underwater Land
49
1.7
Commercial
78
2.7
Industrial
0
0.0
Institutional
308
10.6
Utilities
261
9.0
Open Space
741
25.6
Agricultural
0
0.0
Total
2.900
* Column may not total
100.0 due to rounding.
Source: Long Island
Regional Planning Board.
•
77
Zoning
- Although prescribed densities vary significantly
from jurisdic-
tion to
jurisdiction and within each municipality, all but
a small portion
of the SGPA is zoned for, residential use.
i
The Town of North Hempstead has zoned Greentree, the Whitney Estate,
At 2.5 acres per dwelling. The Village of North Hills has placed the
Abutting country clubs and remaining estates and Nassau County's Christo-
pher Morley Park in its lowest density or one acre per dwelling unit
category.
The Town has classified the additional residential areas within its
part of the SGPA at densities ranging from just over three units per acre
to eight units per acre. Inasmuch as the areas in question are all
located in the vicinity of Community Drive and Northern Boulevard, the
zoning categories assigned to them, like the Business Center category
Assigned to the Abraham and Straus retail complex and the Hospital catego-
ry assigned to the North Shore Hospital, merely reflect existing develop -
went.
With the exception of two small areas zoned for business, the remain-
der,of the Village of North Hills is zoned for traditional residential
development at one-half or one-third acre or for clustered development at
an average of seven units to the acre.
The Village of Lake Success has placed its three largest holdings, a
private country club, the municipal golf course and the Great Neck School
District property in its lowest density residential category, 40,000
square feet per dwelling unit. An area north of the Northern State
Parkway from the city line to Lakeville Road is also zoned and has been
developed at one acre per unit. -Most of the remaining area is zoned for
residential use at two dwellings per acre. There is one small area zoned
78
four units per acre and an extremely small one at six units -per acre.
There is an economic development zone adjacent to the public housing on
Community Drive and a research and office area at the south service road
of the Expressway and Hollow Lane.
Problems and Concerns The last remaining estate and recreational proper-
ties located within the North Hills SGPA have been and continue to be
subjected to extreme pressure for conversion to more intensive use. The
Town of North Hempstead has rezoned the largest single holding, the
Whitney Estate, to preclude development at less than two and one-half
acres per dwelling unit; however, further action is needed to assure the
retention and appropriate management of the open space recharge areas not
only in the North Hempstead, but also in the Village of North'Hills and
the Village of Lake Success portions of the area.
There is particular concern regarding the introduction of -medium or
high density residential uses into unsewered areas, since such development
can be expected to contribute unacceptably high amounts of nitrates -to
groundwater. The extension of sewage collection and treatment, with
marine discharge of the effluent, in order to permit such'development,
cannot be considered a desirable alternative, since.it fosters both the
reduction of recharge and the consumptive use of the water resource.
Virtually, any land use or activity involves the release of some
contaminants into the environment. The minimization of contaminant
discharges associated with existing or proposed uses or activities is
necessary to preserve or enhance the quality of the groundwater. There is
concern that excessive use of agricultural chemicals on golf courses and
other recreational areas an on residential properties could contribute
unnecessarily large amounts of nitrates -and pesticides to relatively clean
79.•
M
groundwater; that homeowner disposal of such hazardous wastes as spent
solvents, photographic chemicals and motor oils, as well as school and
hospital disposal of those and other wastes could introduce a variety -of
trace organics and other contaminants; that accidents such as the 800
gallon gasoline spill in Christopher Morley Park or the loss of approxi-
mately 10,000 gallons of low viscosity oil resulting from the -failure of .a
section of a LILCO underground oil -filled power cable, which was hit.by
lightning; and that the continuation of industrial activities within the
SGPA could pose further threats to water -quality. Except for the season-
al, sporadic elevations in chloride concentrations, the stormwater runoff
collected in the recharge basins along the highways or next to large
parking lots and then allowed to percolate through the soil to the aquifer
is considered beneficial in maintaining water quality and quantity.
Opportunities - There are opportunities for the maintenance of clean
recharge through the retention and proper management of the recreational
lands and the preservation or minimal development of the remaining estates
and institutional open space.
The approximately 500 acre Whitney Estate, together with the adjoin-
ing estates and golf courses, constitutes the area's last large block of
open space. The water quality of the area and the feeling of open space
created by these properties should be maintained.
There is a chance to limit or moderate the increasing demand for
potable water through the adoption and adherence to environmentally
sensitive development policies and land use controls, and through the
,support of water conservation measures. See Appendix for a discus-
sion of water conservation.
.80
There is an opportunity to prevent the avoidable impairment of the
water resource often associated with medium or high density development
without the extension of sewage collection, treatment and marine disposal
of effluent, through the exclusion of new medium or high density develop-
ment in unsevered areas.
Finally, there is an opportunity to reserve and protect additional
well sites through upzoning and land acquisition.
Recommendations
Preserve Existing Open Space - Nassau County should acquire the 500 acre
Whitney Estate (Greentree) for open space preservation.
The villages should preserve the remaining golf courses. The two
municipal golf courses should remain in recreational use. Inasmuch as the
groundwater impacts associated with well managed golf courses are likely
to be less damaging to groundwater quantity and quality than those associ-
ated with various types of housing or with non-residential development,
the two villages with private courses should make every effort to prevent
their conversion to other uses. Large lot zoning, tax abatement, tax
deferral,, acquisition of development rights or even purchase and lease
back should be considered if necessary to facilitate preservation of the.
three private courses.
In the event that Nassau County is unable to acquire the Whitney
Estate, the development of Greentree and the adjacent estates should be
planned as part of -a single entity that maximizes watershed protection,
preserves the open character of the area and provides land for future well
sites. The permissible number of dwelling units for the three contiguous
estates should be based upon the recommended five acre per unit zoning
81 ,
rather than upon the current two and one-half acre zoning of the Manhasset
(Greentree) portion of the area. With good site planning, it should be
possible to preserve 60% of the open space in this area.
The Village of Lake Success should upzone the private Fresh Meadow
golf course, now partially in the halv acre and partially in one acre
category, to five acres per dwelling unit. It should also place the Great
Neck School District property in the same category in order to insure than
any development resulting from the future sale or conversion of these
properties will be compatible with the goals of water resource preserva-
tion. Recreation lands owned by the school district should be kept as
open space if the school facility is ever declared surplus.
The Village of North Hills should upzone the two remaining private
golf courses and the adjacent estates to five acres per dwelling unit so
as to conform with the Town of North Hempstead zoning of the Whitney
property and thus assure the retention or environmentally sensitive
development of the last significant block of open space land in western
Nassau County.
The Village of North Hills should encourage the phase out of the
remaining non -conforming industrial use and should preclude the introduc-
tion of new industrial or potentially contaminating commercial uses.
Consult Table 9 for Plan Land Use and Table 10 for a comparison of
existing and proposed acreage by land use category. See Map 3 for the
location of Plan Land Uses.
82
Table 9 Plan Land Use (acres) in the
North Hills SGPA.
Total 2,899
* "Others" includes plan options, such as planned unit
development, landfill reclamation, relocation, etc., that
could not be assigned to a specific land use category.
** Column may not total 100.0 due to rounding.
Source; Long Island Regional Planning Board•
83
SGPA Plan Land
Percent of
Land Use Category
Use
Total**
Residential
865
29.8
Vacant
0
0.0
Underwater Land
49
1.7
Commercial
87
3.0
Industrial
1
0.0
Institutional
335
11.6
Utilities
260
9.0
Open Space
1,302
44.9
Agricultural
0
0.0
Others*
--
Total 2,899
* "Others" includes plan options, such as planned unit
development, landfill reclamation, relocation, etc., that
could not be assigned to a specific land use category.
** Column may not total 100.0 due to rounding.
Source; Long Island Regional Planning Board•
83
Table 10. Existing
and Plan Land
Use (acres) in the North
Hills SGPA
1989 Existing
Land SGPA
Change in Land Use
Land Use Category
Use
Plan Land Use
(+ = gain; - = loss)
Residential
1,292
865
-427
Vacant
171
0
-171
Underwater Land
49
49
0
Commercial
78
87
+9
Industrial
0
1
+1
Institutional
308
335
+27
Utilities
241
260
-1
Open Space
741
1,302
+561
Agricultural
0
0
0
Others*
--
Total
2,900
2,899
* "Others" includes plan options, such as planned unit development, landfill reclamation,
relocation, etc., that could not be assigned to a specific land use category.
Oyster Bay
General Background - This 45 square mile northwestern Nassau SGPA encompasses
part or all of twelve villages, portions of the city of Glen Cove and parts of
seven hamlets located within the unincorporated portion of the Town of Oyster
Bay.
Originally part of Long Island's "Gold Coast", the area has been developed
primarily for low density residential use. Some of the old estates have been
converted to parks and preserves; others to institutional uses. Fourteen
private country clubs and one municipal golf course help to preserve the open,
partially wooded character of this unique area.
Soils and Topography - Five different.soil associations are found within the
SGPA. At least 60% of the area is made up of the Montauk -Enfield association.
This soil unit occurs in the center of the SGPA and along_the eastern boundary.
Montauk -Enfield soils are medium -textured to moderately coarse-textured and are
nearly level to sloping. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. The dense, slowly
permeable substratum of the Montauk soils can hinder efficient sewage disposal,
while the Enfield soils have a rapidly permeable substratum that is a poor
effluent filter. Cesspools in Enfield soils may pose the threat of groundwater
pollution.
A Riverhead -Enfield -Urban Land association, located in the northern portion
of the SGPA, and in sections near Oyster Bay Cove, Syosset and Woodbury, covers
approximately 30 percent of the SGPA. These soils are nearly level to strongly
sloping. Slopes generally range from 0 to 15 percent, but may be as steep as 25
percent. Slope is the major limitation for landscaping and development in these
areas. The Riverhead and Enfield soils are moderately coarse-textured and have
85
11
adequate permeability for on-site sewage effluent disposal. However, because
permeability is rapid in the substratum, there is the risk that effluent will
not be filtered properly. Urban land consists of buildings roads, driveways,
parking lots and other man-made structures.
Approximately six percent of the Oyster Bay SGPA is made up of the
Riverhead -Plymouth soil association. This unit consists of very deep soils on
drainage ways and hillsides located in the Mill Neck, Oyster Bay Cove and Cold
Spring Harbor areas. Slopes range from 15 to 35 percent and may limit
residential development in some areas. These moderately coarse-textured soils
are well -drained to excessively drained. Cesspools may pose a threat of
groundwater pollution in these soils because the rapidly permeable substratum is
a poor effluent filter.
A small area of the Urban Land -Montauk -Riverhead association is found on
the west side of the SGPA, in the vicinity of Glen Head. It covers
approximately two percent of the area. These medium -textured and moderately
coarse-textured soils are found on slopes ranging from 0 to 15%. Much of this
association is in urban use, consisting primarily of man-made structures. The
open soil areas are mostly lawns, gardens or playgrounds. On-site sewage
disposal is limited in the Montauk soils due to slow substratum permeability.
Riverhead soils are suitable for residential development, but the substratum is
a poor effluent filter, which may increase this likelihood of groundwater
contamination.
The Urban Land -Riverhead association just touches the southwest corner of
the SGPA and comprises approximately two percent of the area. Slopes for these
soils range from 0 to 3%. Most of the association is classified as urban land.
Much of the precipitation on this part of the unit is collected and channeled
through storm sewers into groundwater recharge basins. The Riverhead soils are t
W:
moderately coarse-textured and are generally suitable for homesites. The main
limitation for roads, driveways, and sidewalks. is the potential for frost
action; and, as indicated above, the substratum is a poor filter of septic
effluent.
Vegetation Association - Mixed mesophytic forest is the major vegetation
association in the Oyster Bay SGPA. The canopy consists primarily of tulip
tree, American beech, red oak, red maple, sweet birch, scarlet oak and silver
maple. Pignut hickory, shagbark hickory, as well as witch hazel, may also be
present. A distinct secondary tree layer dominated by dogwood may also be
present along with a dense layer of shrubs and saplings, including black
raspberry, maple -leafed viburnum,.sapphireberry, white ask, red maple, black
cherry and sassafras. Many species of vine such as Virginia creeper and cat
briar are common. In the dryer areas, beech, red maple, sweet birch; and
hickory become less numerous in the canopy, being replaced by black oak and
white oak. Mountain laurel may also occur on excessively well -drained soils.
Rare and Endangered Species and Significant Habitats - A total of thirteen
species were identified by the Natural Heritage Program in the Oyster Bay SGPA.
The Muttontown Preserve provides habitat for three rare plant species: green
milkweed, persimmon., and rattlebox. The tiger salamander (Endangered Species -
E) has also been found in the Muttontown area. Several plant species., including
American strawberry -bush (Threatened Species - T), sweet bay, pencil flower, and
yellow giant hyssop, can.be found around Beaver Brook and its environs.
87
Furthermore, the Mill Neck Creek wetlands have been identified as a
Significant Fish and Wildlife Habitat by NYSDOS. The Beaver Lake portion of
these wetlands is within the Oyster Bay SGPA. Beaver Lake is a privately owned,
freshwater impoundment, which is approximately three feet deep and 60 acres in
size. The lake is an important resting and feeding area for Oyster Bay Harbor's
wintering waterfowl populations. Data on waterfowl populations in Beaver Lake
for 1982-84 indicate average concentration of almost 220 ducks each year
(primarily mallard, black duck, and canvasback). This wetland provides suitable
habitat for the Canada goose, green -backed heron, red -winged blackbird, and fish
crow. The area is also used for feeding by osprey, herons, and egrets.
Surface Waters and Freshwater Wetlands - The Oyster Bay SGPA contains several
freshwater wetlands that are associated with stream corridors. The largest
wetland system follows Glen Cove Creek through the northwestern..,corner of the
SGPA. Other significant wetland areas can be found at Beaver Lake and along
Island Swamp Brook. There is a large area of freshwater wetlands in Muttontown
County Park, and smaller wetlands and kettle -holes are scattered throughout the
SGPA. All of the wetlands in this SGPA are ranked Class I, and total 378 acres.
All streams in the Oyster Bay SGPA flow north to the Long Island Sound.
They include Glen Cove Creek, Island Swamp Brook, Beaver Brook, Mill Creek, and
Cold Spring Brook.
Hydrogeology
The Oyster Bay SGPA is located in deep flow Hydrogeologic Zone I. The
surficial geology of approximately three-fourths of the.area reflects the
advance and retreat of the Harbor Hill ice sheet. Harbor Hill ground morainal
A
88
deposits — consisting of fill with an unassorted mixture of clay, sand and
gravel — extend from west to east across the middle of the SGPA. There is a
band of Harbor Hill outwash deposits -- typically stratified sand and gravel --
south of the Harbor Hill end moraine deposits.
Ronkonkoma terminal morainal sediments — chiefly fill, with 2stratified
sand and gravel — cover much of the southern boundary of the SGPA. The Manetto
Gravel, an early Pleistocene deposit as much as 220 feet thick occurs along the
Nassau -Suffolk border within the extreme southeastern corner of the SGPA and in
an isolated area near Wheatley Hills. Glacial deposits throughout the Oyster
Bay SGPA range in thickness from 10 to 380 feet.
The Magothy aquifer, of Upper Cretaceous age, underlies the Upper glacial
aquifer in most areas of the SGPA. It consists of beds and lenses of light -gray
fine to coarse sand with some interstitial clay and ranges in thickness from 0
to 650 feet, from northwest to .southeast, respectively. In the northern
portions of the SGPA, deep channels cut into the Cretaceous deposits were filled
with late Cretaceous and/or Pleistocene deposits called the Port Washington
aquifer and Port Washington confining unit. The combined thickness of these two
ranges from 0 to 300 feet.
Deposits of morainal material can commonly support perched water tables
within the SGPA as well as retard the downward flow of water. .Confining units
in the SGPA also retard but do not prevent the downward flow of -water. Due to
the complex geologic structure within the SGPA, the Upper glacial aquifer is
probably hydraulically continuous with the Lloyd aquifer in some areas.
Groundwater Flow - Most of the SGPA lies to the north of the regional east -west
groundwater divide. The divide intersects the southern boundary. Shallow
Cgroundwater flows north or south on both sides of this divide. A significant
local divide trending northwest from the Brookville area through the Locust
89-
Valley area controls the direction of shallow groundwater flow. Groundwater to
the east of the local divide moves in an easterly direction toward discharge
areas along or underlying Long Island Sound, Mill Neck Creek, Oyster Bay Harbor
and Cold Spring Harbor. Groundwater west of the local divide moves westward
toward discharge areas along Glen Cove Creek or into Hempstead Harbor. Water
from the Magothy discharges into the Upper glacial aquifer in areas adjacent to
Hempstead Harbor, Oyster Bay Harbor and into the Port Washington confining unit
elsewhere.
Water Supply - Several public suppliers and one private company provide potable
water to most of the SGPA. There are 27 active wells within the SGPA and
another 41 within a one mile radius. Four water districts -- Jericho, Oyster
Bay, Locust Valley and Roslyn -- and two municipalities -- the City of Glen Cove
and. the Village of Old Westbury actually have well sites within the SGPA. Table
11 lists the wells by location and well number and indicates the aquifer from
Al
which water is withdrawn, permitted capacity and 1990 pumpage. The suppliers
listed in Table 11 plus five additional districts and the Sea Cliff Water
Company have wells located outside but within one mile of the SGPA. Table 12
provides location, aquifer, capacity and pumpage information for those wells.
The total 1990 average daily pumpage of approximately 11.15 mgd from within
the SGPA is about 24 percent of the approved capacity in the area. Of the 68
active wells within and adjacent to the SGPA, 21 are located within the Town of
North Hempstead and the remaining 47, within the Town of Oyster Bay.
Over 98 percent of the 1990 withdrawal came from the Magothy aquifer and
rest, from the Lloyd.
None of the purveyors plan to establish new well sites in.the near future
either within or adjacent to the SGPA.
90
Table 11
47.64 mgd 11.49 mgd
Source: Nassau County Department of Health and
Nassau County Department of Public Works
►1"
1990
Well Sites Within the SGPA
NYS Well #
Aquifer
Capacity
Pumpage
Jericho Water District
N-03474
Magothy
1.73
mgd
0.32
mgd
Jericho Water District
N-03475
Magothy
1.73
mgd
0.29
mgd
Jericho Water District
N-06092
Magothy
1.73
mgd
0.53
mgd
Jericho Water District
N-06093
Magothy
1.73
mgd
0.45
mgd
Jericho Water District
N-07446
Magothy
1.73
mgd
0.38
mgd
Jericho Water District
N-07593
Magothy
1.73
mgd
0.85
mgd
Jericho Water District
N-07772
Magothy
1.73
mgd
0.40
mgd
Jericho Water District
N-07773
Magothy
1.73
mgd
0.02
mgd
Jericho Water District
N-07781
Magothy
1.73
mgd
1.01
mgd
Jericho Water District
N-08043
Magothy
1.73
mgd
0.46
mgd
Jericho Water District
N-08355
Magothy
2.00
mgd
0.14
mgd
Jericho Water District
N-08713
Magothy
2.00
mgd
0.05
mgd
Jericho Water District
N-10149
Magothy
2.00
mgd
0.41
mgd
Jericho Water District
N-11107
Magothy
2.00
mgd
0.88
mgd
Jericho Water District
N-11295
Magothy
2.00
mgd
0.67
mgd
City of Glen Cove
N-09210
Magothy
2.02
mgd
0.75
mgd
City of Glen Cove
N-09211
Magothy
2.02
mgd,
0.69
mgd
Oyster Bay Water District
N-04400
Magothy
1.65
mgd
0.51
mgd
Locust Valley Water District
N-05152
Lloyd
1.58
mgd
0.18
mgd
Locust Valley Water District
N-07665
Magothy
1.73
mgd
0.99
mgd
Roslyn Water District
N-04265
Magothy
1.44
mgd
0.11
mgd
Roslyn Water District
N-07873
Magothy
1.73
mgd
0.13
mgd
Old Westbury Village
N-00107
Magothy
2.02
mgd
0.00
mgd
Old Westbury Village
N-00152
Magothy
0.79
mgd
0.08
mgd
Old Westbury Village
N-07513
Magothy
1.73
mgd
0.41
mgd
Old Westbury Village
N-07549
Magothy
1.73
mgd
0.41
mgd
Old Westbury Village
N-08658
Magothy
1.90 mgd
0.37
mgd
47.64 mgd 11.49 mgd
Source: Nassau County Department of Health and
Nassau County Department of Public Works
►1"
Table 12
Well Sites Within 1 Mile of SGPA NYS Well #
Jericho Water District
N-00198
Jericho Water District
N-00199
Jericho Water District
N-00570
Jericho Water District
N-04245
Jericho Water District
N-05201
Jericho Water District
N-06651
Jericho Water District
N-07030
City of Glen Cove
N-03892
City of Glen Cove
N-05261
City of Glen Cove
N-05762
City of Glen Cove
N-08326
City of Glen Cove
N-09334
Oyster Bay Water District
N-08183
Oyster Bay Water District
N-09520
Oyster Bay Water District
N-00585
Oyster Bay Water District
N-00735
Oyster Bay Water District
N-00736
Oyster Bay Water District
N-03486
Oyster Bay Water District
N-03561
Locust Valley Water District
N=00118
Locust Valley Water District
N-00119
Roslyn Water District
N-02400
Roslyn Water District
N-05852
Roslyn Water District
N-07104
Westbury Water District
N-00101
Westbury Water District
N-05007
Westbury Water District
N-07353
Westbury Water District
N-07785
Westbury Water District
N-08007
Sea Cliff Water Company
N-00901
Sea Cliff Water Company
N-05792
Sea Cliff Water Company
N-07857
Albertson Water District
N-03732
Albertson Water District
N-03733
Albertson Water District
N-04206
Carle Place Water District
N-04206
Carle Place Water District
N-06315
Plainview Water District
N-07526
Williston Park Water District
N-00103
Williston Park Water.District
N-00104
Garden City Park Water District
N-00651
92
Up.
Up.
Up.
Pt.
Pt.
Up.
Up.
Up.
Up.
Up.
Up.
Al
AN
1990
Aquifer
Capacity
Pumpage
Magothy
1.63
mgd
0:27
mgd
Magothy
1.61
mgd
0.61
mgd
Magothy
1.73
mgd
0.48
mgd
Magothy,
1.73
mgd
0.97
mgd
Lloyd
1.73
mgd
0.00
mgd
Magothy
1.73
mgd
1.13
mgd
Magothy
1.73
mgd
0.00
mgd
Glacial
1.01
mgd
0.00
mgd
Glacial
2.02
mgd
0.00
mgd
Magothy
2.02
mgd
1.40
mgd
Glacial
2.02
mgd
0.00
mgd
Magothy
2.02
mgd
0.92
mgd
Washington
1.58
mgd
0.17
mgd
Washington
1.73
mgd
0.37
mgd
Glacial]
Glacial]
Combined
Combined
Glacial]
> Capacity
1990 Pumps
Glacial]
2.16
mgd
0.00
mgd
Glacial]
Lloyd
1.80
mgd
0.00
mgd
Lloyd
2.30-mgd
0.00
mgd
Magothy
1.44
mgd
0.00
mgd
Magothy
1.73
mgd
0.72
mgd
Magothy
1.73
mgd
1.24
mgd
Magothy
1.44
mgd
0.00
mgd
Magothy
1.94
mgd
0.37
mgd
Magothy
2.02
mgd
-0.25
mgd
Magothy
2.02
mgd
0.14
mgd
Magothy
2.02
mgd
0.31
mgd
Glacial
2.50
mgd
0.00
mgd
Magothy
1.99
mgd
0.76
mgd
Lloyd
2.02
mgd
0.43
mgd
Magothy
1.44
mgd
0.78
mgd
Magothy
1.44
mgd
0.09
mgd
Magothy
1.73
mgd
0.67
mgd
Magothy
2.00
mgd
0.16
mgd
Magothy
1.73
mgd
0.32
mgd
Magothy
2.02
mgd
0.30
mgd
Magothy
1.44
mgd
0.39
mgd
Magothy
1.98
mgd
0.41
mgd
Magothy
0.72 mgd
0.00 mgd
64.90
mgd
13.86
mgd
Al
AN
Water Quality - Groundwater quality within and adjacent to the Oyster Bay SGPA
is generally good with some areas of excellent quality (good: nitrate 1-6 ppm
with only intermittent traces of volatile organic chemicals; excellent: ambient,
with nitrate less than 1 ppm and no organics detected). This analysis of the
SGPA water quality is based on public water supply well testing by the Nassau
County Department of Health (NCDH) and the public water suppliers (NYS approved
private laboratories) and monitoring well testing by the Nassau County
Department of Public Works (NCDPW).
Public water supply well volatile organic chemical (VOC) quality throughout
the SGPA is excellent. There are one Lloyd and 26 Magothy public supply wells
within the SGPA and seven Magothy public supply wells immediately adjacent to
it. Of these 33.Magothy wells, VOCs were detected in only five wells, with a
maximum total VOC of 2.2 ppb. All of the wells in which VOCs were detected are
Fourteen Magothy monitoring wells and-16.Glacial monitoring wells in or
adjacent to the SGPA were tested. VOCs were detected in four of the Magothy
wells. Total VOCs were less that 3.3 ppb in three wells and the fourth well,
located in Oyster Bay Cover, contained 22.6 ppb. Most of the VOC contamination
was due to toluene and benzene (16.9 and 4.8 ppb, respectively). VOCs were
detected in five of the Glacial monitoring wells. Three of these, located in
the northwestern corner of the SGPA in the City of Glen Cove, contained total VOCs
of 7.8, 53.9 and 136.9 ppb, respectively. This is the only area within the SGPA
where significant groundwater contamination by VOCs is evident.
93
located
along the borders of the
SGPA in or adjacent to commercial or industrial
areas.
No VOCs were detected in
the one Lloyd public water supply well. No
Glacial
public supply wells are
located in the SGPA.
Fourteen Magothy monitoring wells and-16.Glacial monitoring wells in or
adjacent to the SGPA were tested. VOCs were detected in four of the Magothy
wells. Total VOCs were less that 3.3 ppb in three wells and the fourth well,
located in Oyster Bay Cover, contained 22.6 ppb. Most of the VOC contamination
was due to toluene and benzene (16.9 and 4.8 ppb, respectively). VOCs were
detected in five of the Glacial monitoring wells. Three of these, located in
the northwestern corner of the SGPA in the City of Glen Cove, contained total VOCs
of 7.8, 53.9 and 136.9 ppb, respectively. This is the only area within the SGPA
where significant groundwater contamination by VOCs is evident.
93
0
The SPGR is generally a low density residential area, the majority of which
is not connected to public sewers. Nitrates in the Magothy vary from none
detected (N.D.) to 7.14 ppm and in the Glacial from N.D. to 8.00 ppm. The level
of nitrate in both aquifers was most frequently in the range of 1 to 3 ppm in
both public water supply and monitoring wells. No nitrate levels in excess of
the drinking water standard of 10.0 ppm were found. Of the two Glacial
monitoring wells that exceeded -6 ppm, one is located adjacent to a golf course
in Glen Cove and the other is on the Nassau -Suffolk border adjacent to a
recently active farming area. The Magothy monitoring well exceeding 6 ppm is
adjacent to a golf course in Old Brookville. No public water supply wells
(Magothy) exceeded 6 ppm but two exceeded 5 ppm. One of these wells is located
outside of the SGPA south of Jericho Turnpike in Jericho and the other is
located in Syosset. No specific sources of this nitrate could be determined.
Land Use - More than three-fifths of the SGPA is in residential use -- generally
at densities of one, two or five or more acres per dwelling unit. Single family
homes and estates predominate, although a number of higher density luxury
condominiums have been built at the southern edge of the SGPA in the Jericho
area.
Approximately one-sixth of the area is in open space -- in golf courses,
public parks and preserves. Golf courses account for the major portion of the
acreage in this category.
Slightly less than one-tenth of the area is occupied by institutional uses,
many of them located on properties that were formerly large private estates.
94
There are a few remaining farms and nurseries within the area and a small
number of commercial and industrial uses, most of them located along Jericho
Turnpike. See Table 13 for a quantification of acreage by land use category and
Map 5 for the geographic distribution of existing land uses.
Less than six percent of the land is vacant. However, this figure is
misleading since it does not represent all of the land that could be utilized.
Many of the existing estates could be re -subdivided, thus freeing up additional
acreage for future development of land uses.
Zoning - Zoning in the Oyster Bay SGPA is within the jurisdiction of 12
incorporated villages, the Towns of Oyster Bay and North Hempstead and the City
of Glen Cove.
of the SGPA. In addition to single-family uses, most of the ordinances permit
schools, religious uses and membership clubs: The Areas zoned "commercial" are
along the SGPA southerly boundary bordering Jericho Turnpike and the area in and
around Underhill Boulevard.
Problems and Concerns - There is an urgent need to preserve existing and
potential watershed protection areas as infilling of already subdivided
properties adds to the population and water usage in the SGPA. The possible
development of key parcels -- components of the proposed greenbelt in the Old
Westbury -Brookville -Jericho area, the properties abutting the Muttontown
Preserve and the Coe Estate, and the lands within the environmentally sensitive
stream corridors or adjacent to freshwater wetlands -- constitute a major
concern.
95
The
greater part of the area is zoned for single-family
residential use on
lot sizes
ranging from less than one acre to five acres. The
portions zoned
less than
one acre are almost negligible in size in relation
to the total area
of the SGPA. In addition to single-family uses, most of the ordinances permit
schools, religious uses and membership clubs: The Areas zoned "commercial" are
along the SGPA southerly boundary bordering Jericho Turnpike and the area in and
around Underhill Boulevard.
Problems and Concerns - There is an urgent need to preserve existing and
potential watershed protection areas as infilling of already subdivided
properties adds to the population and water usage in the SGPA. The possible
development of key parcels -- components of the proposed greenbelt in the Old
Westbury -Brookville -Jericho area, the properties abutting the Muttontown
Preserve and the Coe Estate, and the lands within the environmentally sensitive
stream corridors or adjacent to freshwater wetlands -- constitute a major
concern.
95
Table 13 Existing Land Use (acres) in the
Oyster Bay SGPA, 1989
Existing Percent of
Land Use Category Land Use Total*
Residential 18,640 61.4
Vacant 1,752 5.8
Underwater Land
163
0.5
Commercial
350
1.2
Industrial
78
0.3
Institutional
2,736
9.0
Utilities
933
3.1
Open Space
4,697
15.5
Agricultural
993
3.3
Total
30,342
*Column may not total 100.0 due to rounding.
Source: Long Island Regional Planning Board.
MN
a
Financially stressed public agencies and private institutions may be
tempted to sell currently unused or under -used lands that now provide important
groundwater recharge areas. Estate owners or their heirs may choose to
subdivide or sell their holdings for development, in some caseslimiting
opportunities for the protection of existing public open space or critical
environmental areas. Country clubs may decide to offer unused portions of their
acreage for housing sites, thus increasing the likelihood of groundwater,
especially nitrate, contamination.
Although water quality is generally good, there are existing and potential
sources of pollution within or upgradient from the SGPA.
Less than 10,percent of the SGPA is sewered. The largest sewered area,
part of Nassau County Sewage Disposal District No. 3, is located in the
southeastern sector of the SGPA. The other areas, located along -the perimeter
of the SGPA, are served by the City of Glen Cove and Oyster Bay Sewer District
sewage treatment plants (STP).
Secondary sewage treatment plants serve C.W. Post College in Brookville and
the New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury. Both plants discharge
their effluent to groundwater. Design flows for these plants are 0.273 million
gallons per day (MGD) and 0.34 MGD respectively. Average monthly flows for 1990
were 0.086 MGD and 0.017 MGD.
A sewage pumping station and -force main are presently under construction by
C.W. Post. The sewage will be diverted to the Nassau County Cedar Creek STP and
the college's plant will be abandoned upon completion of construction. It is
expected that this will occur before year's end.
91
There are two superfund sites located upgradient from the SGPA. They are
the Syosset Landfill and Cerro Conduit Co. Two petroleum storage terminals and
an organic chemical recovery site straddle the Expressway, just south of the
SGPA boundary, in Plainview. The terminals have SPDES discharge permits and the
recovery operation, which is expected to begin shortly, will also have a
discharge permit.
A LILCO oil -filled underground power cable lies within the SGPA in the
Village of Old Westbury while a section of the Northville petroleum pipeline
runs west along the Long Island Expressway from the County line to theterminal
at Plainview. No problems with oil leakage have been associated with either
facility to date. A loss of approximately 75,000 gallons of fuel oil, which is
still under investigation, did take place on the'SUNY Old Westbury campus.
Golf courses, a significant component of the SGPA open space, have also
contributed to groundwater contamination. There is a need to reduce excessive C
reliance on agricultural chemicals; that is, fertilizers and pesticides, and to
select drought resistant species of grass wherever feasible in order to reduce
the need for irrigation.
There is a need to phase out isolated commercial or industrial uses that
could contaminate the groundwater and to prevent the establishment of new
commercial or industrial uses outside of existing business areas.
Opportunities - There are opportunities to preserve and expand public and
quasi -public holdings within the SGPA. Coordinated action involving the State
University at Old Westbury, private clubs and the Town of Oyster Bay could
result in the creation of a sizeable permanent greenbelt in the vicinity of the
groundwater divide. Nassau County purchase of the fee or the development rights
to some or all of the 81 acre parcel on the westerly side of the Muttontown
98
Preserve, or other adjacent parcels, could assure the protection and expansion
of an extensive watershed preservation area.
A New York State decision to dedicate the undeveloped Bethpage State
Parkway Right of Way as permanent open space could contribute to the
establishment of a 271 acre north -south greenbelt extending from Cold Spring
Harbor, through the ponds and woodlands along the Nassau -Suffolk border, to
Stillwell Woods and finally, to Plainview.
There is little opportunity to encourage any type of extensive farmland
preservation; however, there are some opportunities to preserve open space
through clustering. Generally,'the incorporated villages have not been
receptive to the idea of clustering to preserve woodland or other
environmentally sensitive parcels. The City of Glen Cove and the Town of Oyster
Bay have used the cluster technique. There are a few additional opportunities
in the unincorporated area of the Town, especially in the Jericho and Woodbury
areas, to cluster in order to add existing open space to land that is already in
that category or to buffer future housing from nearby commercial development or
major roadways. _
If the Villages of Lattingtown, Mill Neck, Muttontown and Old Brookville
were to use clustering they could preserve portions of currently unprotected
stream corridors or could add to existing County or Nature Conservancy holdings.
Even with density modification — the reduction of individual parcel sizes by as
little as 10 to 15 percent -- the villages could acquire land or development
rights so as.to preserve or buffer some particularly sensitive areas.
Although there is currently little interest in new well sites, the as yet
un -subdivided estate lands provide opportunities for the reservation of such
sites to meet future needs.
99
s
Recommendations -
New York State,
Nassau County
and the municipalities should
make every effort
to preserve the
existing open
space character and recharge
0
potential of the SGPA.
The State University of New York at Old Westbury should set aside between
275 and 300 acres as a permanent preserve and recharge area.
New York State should either dedicate and manage the unused northern part
of the Bethpage State Parkway right of way as a permanent greenbelt or should
transfer the land to the County for that purpose.
Nassau County should continue to acquire key watershed parcels as indicated
in the preceding section and should provide assistance to municipalities in the
purchase of lands identified as major components of greenbelts or other
significant open space watershed or conservation areas. -
The County and the municipalities should consider measures necessary to
ensure the preservation of the golf courses. Such measures shouldinclude but C
not be limited to the acquisition of development rights, tax abatement and
rezoning.
The municipalities should amend their zoning ordinances as necessary to
limit the expansion of non-residential uses beyond the boundaries of already
committed areas, such as those at the periphery of the SGPA in Glen Head, Oyster
Bay and Muttontown and along the Long Island Expressway (L.I.E.) in Woodbury.
The small concentrations of commercial activity in Old Brookville, Glen Head,
Old Westbury and the large concentration in Jericho should be confined to their
existing area. The same is true of the three commercial locations in Woodbury,
which comprise the community's main business center. No intensification of
commercial activity should be permitted along Route 25A east of the existing
business area in Greenvale and, wherever possible, existing non -conforming uses
should be phased out.
100
The Town of Oyster Bay should dedicate the Town owned former,sand mine
adjacent to the L.I.E. as permanent open space. However, if that is not
feasible, the Town should sell the property for commercial development that
would have minimal impact on groundwater quantity or quality and should utilize
the proceeds of that sale for the acquisition of open space of,comparable
economic and environmental value elsewhere in the SGPA.
The water purveyors, in cooperation with the Nassau County Department of
Health and the Nassau County Department of Public Works, should identify areas
where well sites maybe.needed in the future and should notify the
municipalities in which these areas are located. Prior notice of purveyor
interest will help to ensure the availability of suitable -well sites at such
time as they are needed.
See Map 5 for the location of Plan Land Uses and Tables 14 and 15 for Plan Land
Use acreage -by Land Use Category and a comparison of existing and Plan'Land Use,
respectively..
101
0
MM
Table 14 Plan Land Use (acres) in the
Oyster Bay SGPA.
* "Others" includes plan options, such as planned unit
'development, landfill reclamation, relocation, etc., that
could not be assigned to a.specific land use category.
** Column may not total 100.0 due tc rounding.
Source: Long Island Regional Planning Board.
102
7
M
SGPA Plan Land
Percent or
Land Use Category
Use
Total**
Residential
18,916
62.3
Vacant
0
0
Underwater -Land
122
0.4
Commercial
357
1.2
Industrial
67
0.2
Institutional
2,690
8.9
Utilities
866
2.9
Open Space
7,279
24.0
Agricultural
52
0.2
Others*
�®
Total
30,349
* "Others" includes plan options, such as planned unit
'development, landfill reclamation, relocation, etc., that
could not be assigned to a.specific land use category.
** Column may not total 100.0 due tc rounding.
Source: Long Island Regional Planning Board.
102
7
M
elk
Table 15
Existing and
Plan Land Use (acres) in the Oyster
Bay SGPA
1989
Existing
Land SGPA
Change in Land Use
Land Use Category
Use
Plan Land Use
(+ = gain; - = loss)
Residential
18,640
18,916
+276
Vacant-
1,752
0
-1,752
Underwater Land
163
122
-41
Commercial
350
357
1-7
Industrial
78
67
-11
F, Institutional
2,736
2,690
-46
w•
-
Utilities
933
866
-67
Open Space
4,697
7,279
+2,582
Agricultural
993
52
-941
Others*
--
--
--
Total
30,342
30,349
* "Others" includes plan options, such
as planned unit development,
landfill reclamation,
relocation, etc., that could
not be assigned to a specific
land use category.
West Hills -Melville SGPA
General Background - The 6,708 acre West Hills -Melville SGPA is the
westernmost groundwater protection area in Suffolk County and is an
easterly extension of the partially contiguous Oyster Bay Pilot area in
Nassau County.
Most of the area is located in the Town of Huntington; however, a
small but critical portion is in the Town of Babylon.
The SGPA is characterized by varied topography - - the highest
point in the bi-county region is located in the SGPA - - a mix of land
uses, a major New York State Developmental Facility, and significant
open space.
Soils and Topography - This SGPA contains three different soil associa-
tions. The Carver -Plymouth -Riverhead association juts into the center
of the area from the southwest corner and covers approximately 20% of_
the area, including the West Hills County Park. Found on the Ronkonkoma
moraine, this association is characteristically rolling, with slopes
ranging from nearly level to steep. The soils are excessively drained
due to the coarse-textured sand and sandy loam which make up much of the
surface layers and subsoils. This sandy texture combined with slope
make these soils poorly suited to.farming. However, they readily
support residential and recreational land use.
Another soil association found in this SGPA is the Montauk -Haven -
Riverhead association. It covers approximately 50% of the area. This
association is noted for rolling hills and morainal soils that are
neatly. level to strongly sloping. A few boulders. dot the landscape, of
these soils, and the West Bills County park area has many kettle holes
that remain wet or wate " filled most of the year. In general,, these
104
soils are well -drained to moderately coarse-textured. The soils are
well suited to farming, but the more sloping areas may be subject to _
severe erosion. Slow infiltration in the hardpan layer presents moder-
ate limitations to excavation and housing developments.
The Haven -Riverhead soil association also appears within this SGPA
and covers approximately 20% of the area. Found on outwash plains,
these soils are nearly level with short, gentle slopes along shallow
drainage ways. Slopes range from 1 to 12 percent. Because these soils
have good drainage and moderately high available moisture capacities,
this association provides one of the best farming soils in the County.
Vegetation Associations - The vegetation association within the West
Hills SGPA consists of oak -dominated forests. Andrew M. Greller, in a
paper on mature forests on Long Island, identified oak -mountain laurel
and oak -mixed heath forests in this area, as well as throughout central
Long Island, on and south of the Ronkonkoma moraine. The major wood-
lands within this SGPA are located within the West Hills County Park•and
in the adjacent Half Hollow Hills region south of the Expressway. The
latter area represents a transitional zone that supports elements of
both the northern oak forest and oak brush plains associations.
The woods consist mainly of oaks - - white, black, red and scarlet
® o and an understory that includes flowering dogwood, blueberry and
maple -leaved viburnum. In some of the moister areas such as depressions
and swales, American beech, red maple and black sweet birth can also be
found.
For many years agriculture flourished within this SGPA and it still
exists in several areas today. Previously cleared fields now in various
stages of succession can also be found throughout the SGPA. Abandoned
105
fields in first secession contain such species as broom grass,
goldenrod, butterfly"weed, St. John's wort, evening primrose, aster,
strawberry, rabbit -foot clover and reindeer lichen, as well as remnants
of former agricultural crops. Downs and overgrown fields in second
succession are distinguished by the incursion of small trees and woody
shrubs into the abandoned field habitat. Such species may include black
cherry, grey birch, swamp juneberry; smooth sumac, winged sumac, pitch
pine and sassafras, as well as undergrowth including bayberry, blackber-
ry and huckleberry. In addition, some areas of West Hills Park and
other areas throughout the SGPA contain first growth woods, character-
ized by trees such as black locust, wild black cherry, red cedar,
ailanthus, and grey birch, as well as undergrowth including poison ivy,
raspberries, multiflora rose, catbriar and grape, among others.
Rare and Endangered Species and Significant Habitats - Five rare and
endangered species were identified in the West Hills -Melville SGPA. The
southeast portion of Half Hollow Hills, near Colonial Springs, serves as
habitat for three significant plant species: .St. Andrew's cross, dwarf
plantain, and ticktrefoil. In the Cold Spring Harbor area, two rare and
endangered plant species were reported around the stream's pond system
and associated freshwater wetlands. The only currently known New York
location of:bushy St. John's wort is located here as well.
Surface Waters and Freshwater Wetlands - Within the West Hills -Melville
SGPA, there is an elongated corridor of freshwater wetlands adjacent to
the stream that leads into Cold Spring Harbor. Except for this corri-
dor, which is a Class I wetland, all others in this SGPA are ranked as
Class II wetlands. Other wetlands include a few kettleholes in the West
Hills area, as well as some small freshwater wetlands in the southeast
106
corner of the SGPA within the Town of Babylon. There is a total of 91
acres of wetlands in this SGPA.
Hydrogeology - The West Hills -Melville SGPA straddles the groundwater
divide in westernmost Suffolk. The divide runs approximately east-
northeast from,Manetto Hills at the Nassau -Suffolk border, and is
located in the region between and just north of Old Country Road and
Northern State Parkway. Both the northern and southern portions of the
SGPA lie within the deep recharge zone, where groundwater flow has a
significant downward component.
Glacial and Magothy deposits underlie the entire SGPA, although
their relative thickness varies significantly from north to south.
Glacial scouring removed most of the Magothy in the northern region,
where glacial deposits now extend to depths of -400 feet. The Magothy
reaches a maximum thickness of about 700 feet near the divide, where it'
extends above sea level. In this region and to the south, glacial
deposits are relatively thin, and the top of the Magothy occasionally
lies less than 100 feet below the water.table. No significant clay
units are present below any portion of the SGPA, so there are no barri-
ers to inhibit the natural downward flow of recharge, or prevent,.the
drawdown of surface contamination by deep public wells.
Groundwater Flow - Vertical flow is greatest near the divide, where
groundwater moves downward at a rate on the order of 6 feet per year.
Horizontal flow north and south of the divide has a slight easterly
component due to the influence of the water table mound located near the
Nassau -Suffolk border. To the far north, shallow flow is influenced -by
Cold Spring Harbor and has a westerly component. Horizontal flow rates
are generally less than..one foot'per day, making the natural travel time
107
through the aquifer system several hundred years or more.for water,
recharged near the divide. See Map 7 for the location of the divide and
direction of flow.
Water Supply - Five public water wells fields lie within the boundaries
of the SGPA, and another eight are located adjacent to or immediately
downgradient of the area; their combined pumpage (8.55 mgd) is equal to
about 15% of the total pumpage for the Towns of Huntington and Babylon.
Table 154lists the wellfields by location, capacity and 1987 pumpage.
Table 15 A
Well Fields Within
the' SGPA
Capacity
1987 Pumpage
SCWA Harbor Road
SCWA Woodchuck Hollow Road
2.02 mgd
.'24 mgd
South Huntington
Gwynne Road #9
2.02 mgd
.68 mgd
South Huntington
Old Country Road #16
1'.44 mgd
.09 mgd
South Huntington
Old Country Road #4
1.73 mgd
.25 mgd
Dix Hills Elkland Road
2.02 mgd
.53 mgd
1.15
mgd
9.23 mgd
1.79 mgd
Fields Adjacent to the SGPA
East Farmingdale Route 110
2.02
mgd
.73
mgd
SCWA Woodchuck Hollow Road
6.34
mgd
1.30
mgd
.SCWA Circle Drive
4.90
mgd
1.21
mgd
South Huntington West Rogues Road_
1.44
mgd
.40
mgd
South Huntington Oakwood Road
1.99
mgd
1.15
mgd
South'Huntington Downs Road
1.99
mgd
.'94
mgd
South Huntington Walt Whitman Road
4.03
mgd
.64
mgd
East Farmingdale Gazza Boulevard
14.03 mgd
'
.39 mgd
26, 74
mgd
6:76
mgd
The percentage of pumpage used outside
the
boundaries, of
the SGPA
is probably large; thus, net withdrawals
for the region are on
the order
of 3/4 of average recharge (assuming an
area of
12 square
miles and a
recharge rate of about 1 mgd/sq mi). 'The watershed, therefore, has only
limited potential for increased utilization.
Water Quality - Groundwater quality within and immediately downgradient
of the SGPA can be inferred from public water supply well data. These
data indicate that, in general, groundwater quality -is good (i.e.,
108
nitrate 1-6 ppm, only intermittent traces of organics) to excellent
(ambient, i.e., nitrate less than 1 ppm, no organics). Some isolated
contamination problems exist, however, and some negative trends have
been identified.
Groundwater quality in the region near the divide has been impacted
somewhat by past agricultural activities and more recent residential and
commercial development. Nitrate concentrations in Magothy public supply
wells 300-450 feet deep have increased in recent years to the 4-6 ppm
range; traces of organics have been detected on one or two occasions
(South Huntington W.D. Old Country Road Plants #16 and #4). Even the
660 -foot Magothy well at South Huntington's Gwynne Road (Plant #9)
wellfield has shown "spikes" of inorganic and trace organic contamina-
tion, although the general quality is still excellent.
Farther south, Magothy wells 550-700 feet deep located along the
Route 110 Corridor have remained unimpacted, even though the wellfields
- - South Huntington W. D. Walt Whitman Road, East Farmingdale W.D.
Route 110 - - are in commercial/industrial areas, and the wells are high
capacity (1,300 gpm).
Water from public supply wells in the Half Hollow Hills portion of
the SGPA is generally of excellent quality, although the 700 -foot ,
Magothy well at the Dix Hills W.D.'s Elkland Road wellfield did experi-
ence a brief occurrence of trace organics (18 ppb TCE) in 1984. Pris-
tine water quality has consistently been found in all four wells (200'
glacial, 230' Magothy, 530'-Magothy, 620' Magothy) at the SCWA's Circle
Drive wellfield located just south of the SGPA, reflecting the very low
intensity of land use in upgradient areas.
109-
vacant.
Residential densities are typically one acre or lower per dwelling
unit in the West Hills portion of the SGPA and less than one acre per
dwelling unit in the Melville portion.
_110
To the north of the 'groundwater divide, Magothy water quality
generally remains at or near pristine levels, as reflected by the
quality of supply wells at South Huntington W.D.'s Downs.Road and
Oakwood Road wellfields (both located just outside the SGPA boundary).
Glacial water quality, including deep glacial, however, has been impact-
ed to various extents, presumably due to past_agricultu=ral.activities
and more recent residential development.
The 300 -foot glacial well at South Huntington W.D.'s West Rogues
Path wellfield has experienced an upward.trend in nitrates since the
1970's, reaching 3.2 ppm in 1987. Nitrate concentrations in the
250'-300' glacial wells at the SCWA's Harbor Road wellfield (along the
Nassau -Suffolk border in the northernmost portion of the SGPA) show
minimal impact, ranging from 1-2 ppm. Significant impairment, however,
is seen at the SCWA's Woodchuck Hollow wellfield located just north of
the SGPA where three glacial wells over 500 feet deep have had nitrate
levels up to 7 ppm, and have been contaminated with traces of the
agricultural fumigant, 1,2-dichloropropane, prompting the installation
of carbon filters.
Land Use - Almost all of the West Hills -Melville SGPA is in low intensi-
ty uses. See Table 16 for a listing of acreage by land use category.
Residential and open space uses account for more than three-fifths
of the total area. Agricultural uses occupy slightly less than one-
tenth of the area and nearly one out of every eight acres remains
vacant.
Residential densities are typically one acre or lower per dwelling
unit in the West Hills portion of the SGPA and less than one acre per
dwelling unit in the Melville portion.
_110
a
7/25/91
Table 16 Existing Land Use (acres) in the
West Hills -Melville 5GPAo 19890
Existing Percent of
Land Use Category Land Use Total*
Residential 2,174 3204
Vacant 813 1201
Under rater Land 16 0.2
Commercial
81
1.2
Industrial
1
0.0
Institutional
568
8.5
Utilities
470
700
Open Space
1,956
29.2
Agricultural
629
9®4
Total 6,708
* Column may not total 100®0 due to rounding.
Source: Long Island Regional Planning Board.
111
11
c
Mi-
4-
In the Huntington part of the area, there is.extensive public open
space in the vicinity of the divide. Most of this open space is Suffolk
County land that is excellently located for watershed preservation. The
West Hills County Park already contains pumping sites of the South
Huntington Water District.
Two recreational facilities, the 780 acre West Hills County Park
and the 460 acre Federation of Jewish,Philanthropies Camp, account for
the major portion of the open space. Both contain large expanses of
undisturbed natural vegetation. The 149 acre Cold Spring Country Club
is the largest private recreation area. Other conservation or recrea-
tional holdings include the County owned Wicks Farm at the north end of
the SGPA, town lands in a few locations, State properties and the Nature
Conservancy headquarters. One of the State properties is a right-of-way
for the proposed Bethpage Parkway extension adjacent to Route 108.
Most agricultural uses are located in the Melville sector where
growers produce high value crops - - for the most part, sod and nursery
stock. There are numerous institutional uses, of which the largest is
the 515 acre New York State Long Island Developmental Center. There is
a small amount of commercial development and virtually no industry
within the SGPA; however, the adjacent Route 110 Corridor is Long
Island's, largest employment center, with extensive acreage in commercial
and industrial use. See Map 8 for the geographic distribution of land
uses.
Zoning - Virtually all of the SGPA is zoned for residential use. Except
for the Froelich Farm property, allowable densities range from two acres
per dwelling unit in much of West Hills to one acre per dwelling unit in
the remainder of the Town,of Huntington portion of the SGPA. Residences
112
S
are permitted on one-fourth of an acre in the Babylon portion. A small
area is zoned for commercial use.
Problems and Concerns - The retention of the existing open space and the
watershed protection benefits it provides constitutes the single most
important concern. The ultimate disposition of the Federation of Jewish
Philanthropies site, which is located upgradient from a nearby wellfield
outside the SGPA; of the vacant acreage south of the Long Island Ex-
pressway and adjacent to the Town of Huntington park; of the State owned
but undeveloped Bethpage Parkway extension right-of-way, close to the
ponds leading to Cold Spring Harbor; of the Cold Spring Country Club, of
the Otto Kahn estate and even the Froelich Farm may either preserve or
reduce the quantity and quality of the recharge that reaches the
aquifer.
A major institutional use, the Long Island Developmental Center, I C
occupies more than 500 acres. There is a proposal to use a portion of
the open land for group residences and to utilize the existing buildings
for other uses. The potential intensification of development, with the
loss of open space and the additional burden on the currently inadequate
sewage treatment facility, is a serious concern.
The need to reduce or mitigate contamination associated with past
br present point and non -point sources and to preclude the introduction
of new sources is also a concern. The aquifer system in and around the
SGPA has been impacted to varying degrees by point and non -point contam-
ination associated with agricultural, residential, and various commer-
cial/industrial land use activities. Areas outside the SGPA contribut-
ing contamination to the SGPA include the region south of the divide
113
from Route 110 east, and the region south of the Long Island Railroad to
the east of the SGPA boundary.
The point sources include two STP's and a small number of,other
facilities with SPDES permits for discharges to groundwater. The Times
Square Mall STP, located just upgradient of the SGPA near the groundwa-
ter divide, is a tertiary plant that until the early 1980's produced
total nitrogen concentrations as high as 24 ppm in groundwater at the
recharge site. The other STP, at the Long Island Developmental Center,
is an old secondary plant at which no groundwater monitoring has been
conducted. Monitoring wells will be required in the near future as part
114 '
of the upgrade requirements.
Some nearby commercial and industrial operations may have already
affected the groundwater. There are 150 to 200 facilities with Article
12 Hazardous Materials Storage permits in and around the SGPA,(including
the entire Melville industrial area). The groundwater impacts of past
storage and disposal practices and inadvertent discharges at these
facilities are unknown. The past and -continuing use of agricultural
chemicals and the compatibility of farm practices with groundwater
protection is another concern.
Northville Industries' petroleum pipeline traverses the SGPA. The
line runs from the Holtsville terminal along the Long Island Expressway
to the terminal in Plainview.' Pressure testing is conducted every year
in accordance with an agreement with the New York State Public Service
Commission; thus far, no problems have been detected..
Opportunities - There are several opportunities to acquire•the fee or
lesser interests in key watershed protection properties and to use
clustering to preserve open space in conjunction with development. The
114 '
460 acre Federation of Jewish Philanthropies property in Wheatley
Heights is just north of the main SCWA well site that serves the
Wheatley Heights and Wyandanch area. Acquisition of the fee or of the
development rights to this camp property could guarantee that an open
space use would remain in this generally built-up area.
There is also a small wetland area in the Town of Babylon and near
the camp site. Preservation of the wetland would enhance habitat
diversity as well as groundwater protection.
Acquisition of several small parcels near the ridge line in
Huntington would permit a 90 acre expansion of the Town Park and the
creation of protected sites for future wells. Expansion of the Town
holdings near Old Bethpage Village to include vacant outparcels could
create a watershed preserve that could also serve as a buffer between
residential uses and a future industrial area.
State retention of the Huntington portion of the Bethpage Parkway
right-of-way and dedication of the land as a conservation area could
create a permanent greenbelt in an ecologically sensitive area.
Public purchase of the fee or development rights, the transfer of
development rights and even clustering could be used to preserve the one
golf course and a sizeable portion of the Kahn estate should the present
owners decide to sell..' Since most of the vacant residential land is
zoned one or two acres per dwelling unit, there are opportunities for
clustering that would add newly dedicated open space to existing open
areas and would provide somewhat larger watershed protection sites. The
Froelich Farm property provides such an opportunity since it adjoins the
100 acre Wicks property, which was acquired for open space, and a 50
SN"
115
acre tract that is in the Suffolk County Farmland Development Rights
Program.
A State determination to limit occupancy and retain most of the
existing open space at the Long Island Developmental Center could insure
the maximization of clean recharge in an area served by an inadequate
sewage treatment plant.
There are two opportunities for some planned development that are
immediately adjacent to the.major commercial and industrial uses. These
could provide primarily residential uses,'or office development combined
with some open space. That approach could be useful, especially on the
tract that is north of the Long Island Expressway and east of Pinelawn
Road.
Recommendations
Preserve the existing open space as described under Opportunities
and depicted on the Plan Map 7. Suffolk County should purchase the fee
or development rights to the Federation property and'to.,small parcels
adjacent to the West Hills County Park.
The Town of Huntington should purchase or otherwise acquire vacant
parcels adjacent to the -other town holdings within the SGPA.
The State of New York should -dedicate the Bethpage Parkway
right-of-way as,a permanent greenbelt.
The Town of Huntington should facilitate the transfer of develop-
ment rights and the use of clustering wherever feasible, to preserve the
maximum amount of open space.
3
116
New York State should refrain from selling off land and buildings
or otherwise increasing the residential density or the intensity of uses _
on the Developmental Center property.
New York State should upgrade its primary STP. Since the current
capacity of the Southwest Sewer District STP precludes the extension of
collection and treatment beyond the present service area, the State
should provide tertiary treatment for effluent discharged within the
SGPA.
The Suffolk County Department of Health Services should investigate
and, where necessary, monitor and regulate upgradient industrial and
commercial activities that could adversely impact SGPA water quality.
Suffolk. County should consider using the Wicks property and the 50
acre Farmland Program tract for the establishment of a model farm and
landscape center to demonstrate the use of best management practices
while maintaining a 150 acre.open space. See Table 17 for a tabulation
of proposed acreage by land use category and Table 18 for a comparison
of Existing and Plan Land Use. See Map 9.
117 _
Table 17 Plan Land Use (acres) in the
West Hills -Melville SGPA.
SGPA Plan 'Land Percent of
Land Use Category Use Total**
Residential 2,643 39.4
Vacant ' 0 0.0
Underwater Land 16 0.2
Commercial 73 1.1
Industrial 2 0.0
Institutional 516 7.7
Utilities 527 7.9
Open Space 2,882 43.0
Agricultural 50 0.7
Others* -�
Total 6,709
* °BOthers" includes plan options, such as planned unit
development, landfill reclamation, relocation, etc., that
could not be assigned to a specific land use category.
** column -.may not total 100.0 due to rounding.
Source: Long Island Regional Planning Board.
118'
Pj-OL I$ Existing and Plan Land Use (acres) in the West Hills SGPA
Land Use Category
Residential
Vacant
Underwater Land
Commercial
Industrial
Institutional
Utilities
Open Space
Agricultural
Others*
Total
7/2/91
1989 Existing Land
Use
SGPA
Plan Land Use
Change in Land Use
(+ = gain; - = loss)
2,174
2,643
+469
813
0
-813
16
16
0
81
73
-8
1
2
+1
568
516
-52
i.
470
527
+57
1,956
2,882
+926
629
50
-579
6,708
6,709
* "Others" includes plan options, such as planned unit development, landfill reclamation,
relocation, etc., that could not be assigned to a specific land use category.
I � e2�
Oak Brush Plains SGPA
General Background - This small SGPA covers a little over 3,000 acres
located at the juncture of the Towns of Smithtown, Huntington, Babylon
and Islip. The SGPA extends from Hauppauge Road to Long Island Avenue,
in the vicinity of the Long Island Expressway/Sagtikos Parkwav inter-
change.
The Oak Brush Plains SGPA is unique in two respects; namely, the
nature of the existing vegetative cover and the predominance of institu-
tional land uses. The shrubby Heath -Oak Brush thickets constitute the
largest single area of its kind on Long Island. The predominant insti-
tutional land uses, which account for approximately 60% of the are,
include the Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center, the currently abandoned
Edgewood State Hospital, the Western Campus of Suffolk County Community
College (SCCC) and an adjacent junior high school within the Brentwood
School District.
Soils and Topography - A single soil association, the Haven -Riverhead,
is present throughout approximately 95% of the area. The well -drained,
medium -textured, outwash plain soil association occurs on level to
gently sloping sectors of the SGPA. Slopes range from one to twelve
percent. Due to good permeability and ease of excavation, such soils
are generally suitable both for farming - - with supplementary irriga-
tion - - and for residential development.
The Carver -Plymouth -Riverhead association is present in the remain-
ing five percent of the SGPA. Found on slopes ranging from nearly level
to steep, these coarse-textured sandy soils and sandy loams occupy a
small, rolling morainal area south of the Northern State Parkway.
120
Although the sandy texture and steep slopes limit farming uses, the
soils are well suited for housing and recreational purposes.
Vegetation Associations - The major vegetation association within the
Oak Brush Plains SGPA is part of an approximately 1,400 acre, largely
wooded system, referred to as the Edgewood Oak -Brush Plains. This area,
which comprises a sizeable tract of natural woodlands, represents the
northern portion of the coastal plain vegetation found on Long Island.
The Oak -Brush Plains are a manifestation of past glacial activity,
which deposited vast quantities of permeable sand/gravel soils, forming
Long Island's outwash plain. These infertile droughty, sandy soils.,
coupled with repeated fires, have shaped the ecology of the Oak -Brush
Plains community in the SGPA area.
Most of the woodland areas in the SGPA have been burned over by
severe fires one or more times in recent history. Dry soil surface
conditions and brushy vegetative cover have favored the repeated occur-
rence of fires and the development of_a fire climax ecosystem. Fires
maintain the short, thick, heath and oak shrub layer and the sparse
canopy that typify this dry ecosystem. Species capable of reproducing
under stressful and recurring fire conditions have become dominant,. with
plants and animals adapting to life in a fire -prone environment.
John F. Cryan and John L. Turner in the Long Island Pine Barrens
Society Newsletter, The Heath Hen, have described the Oak Brush Plains
vegetation as follows:
All upland oak brush plains vegetation is dominated by
shrubby thickets composed vertically of three layers an upper
layer of two dwarf oak species, scrub or bear oak and dwarf
chestnut oak 0.5 to 2 m (1.5 to 6 feet) tall, a middle shrub
layer dominated by plants of the heath family (Ericaceae) and
relatives, commonly black huckleberry, early and late lowbush
blueberries, staggerbush, and sweetfern, and a shrub and herb
layer with wintergreen, bearberry, trailing arbutus (rarely),
and pine barrens heather with incorporated herbs like blue and
pine barrens toadflax, pinweeds, blue lupine, and frostweeds.
Horizontally, oak brush plains vegetation is strongly pat-
terned as well, with large areas of dwarf oak thicket, so
dense that walking through them is impossible, periodically
punctuated by large to small openings filled with emergent
grasses and wildflowers, especially prairie grasses, aster,
and goldenrods, which need full sunlight unimpeded by shrubs
,to reach their mature heights of over two feet.
Above this species -rich shrub thicket in most of the
region are scattered, columnar pitech pines, bereft of limbs
along their lower trunks, with scraggly, flat-topped crowns.
Most of these trees now are mere shadows of the formerly
majestic pines, 80 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet in basal diame-
ter, which originally loomed over vast, impenetrable stretches
of dwarf oak thicket,........
The pitch pine of the Oak Brush Plains were and still are
physically and ecologically distinct from populations of this
three species in other Long Island Pine Barrens regions to the
east.
Parcels that were not severely burned are interspersed among
the brush areas. These parcels are vegetated with a canopy of
pitch pine (Pinus Rigida) and a less dense shrub layer. The
absence of oak trees and the abundance of understory shrubs have
created an unusual vegetative association recognized by the New
York State Legislature, NYSDEC and the New York State Heritage
Program for its rarity among pine barrens communities.
Rare and Endangered Species and Significant Habitats - The Edgewood
section or southwest corner of the SGPA provides habitat for five rare
and endangered plant species including the southern yellow flax.
(Threatened -T) and lespedeza (Rare Species -R.). Two animal species, the
common barn owl (Special Concern -SC) and the coastal barrens "buckmoth
(SC) have also been reported here. One type of rare plant, the New
England blazing star, can be found in the southeast corner of the SGPA.
122
Surface Waters and Freshwater Wetlands - There are no surface waters or
freshwater wetlands identified within this SGPA.
Hydrogeology - This west central Suffolk SGPA is located in
Hydrogeologic Zone I. The groundwater divide and the direction of the
groundwater flow in the SGPA and vicinity are shown on Map 10. As
indicated, the area lies south of the groundwater divide and east of the
Huntington water table mound. Water recharging the aquifer beneath the
Oak Brush Plains has a significant vertical component.
Most of the SGPA is located on the glacial outwash plain that lies
south of the Ronkonkoma terminal moraine. In the small portion of the
SGPA north of the east -west trending Ronkonkoma moraine, the Smithtown
clay unit lies within the sequence of glacial deposits some 130' below
land surface and 65' below the water table; however, there is no.evi-
dence that the unit represents a significant aquiclude in this region.
The northern limit of Gardiners Clay is usually estimated to lie south
of the SGPA, although a clay unit of -variable thickness and unknown
continuity was found some 75',-95' below the water table in and around
the SGPA during the Flow Augmentation Needs Study and the Multi -town
Resource Recovery site investigation. The eroded, irregular surface of
the Magothy is found some 150'-300' below grade (100'-260' below the
water table), with the greatest depths located central to the SGPA.
Groundwater Flow - The direction of horizontal groundwater flow is
controlled in large part by the Huntington water table mound to the
west. Radial flow off the mound results in a large easterly component
of flow throughout the SGPA, with an increasing southerly component from t
123
north to south. Horizontal flow rates are generally on the order of one
foot per day.
Water_Supyly - The Suffolk County Water Authority provides potable water
to much of the areas while the Brentwood Water District serves the
remainder, including the Pilgrim State Hospital. There are no public
water supply wells within the Oak Brush Plains; however, there are six
community water supply well fields located adjacent to or just
downgradient of the SGPA. Table 19 lists the well fields by location,
capacity and 1987 average pumpage.
Table 19
Fields Downgradient of SGPA
Capacity
1987 Pumpage
SCWA Wicks Road
5.04 mgd
0.72 mgd
SCWA Emjay Boulevard
5.47 mgd
1.61 mgd
SCWA Locust Drive
4.03 mgd
0.62 mgd
SCWA Industry Court
3.46 mgd
0.75 mgd
Brentwood WD Morris St.
5.18 mgd
2.30 mgd
Brentwood WD Third Ave.
3.74 mgd
1.02 mgd
26.92 mgd
7.02 mgd
The combined 1987 average daily_pumpage of 7.0 mgd represents about
26% of the total installed pumping capacity at the fields. The maximum
day pumpage is usually estimated at 4-5 times the daily average for
large systems.like the Suffolk County Water Authority and Brentwood
Water District.
Water Quality - The quality of the shallow groundwater in.several SGPA
and nearby locations is unsatisfactory. Samples drawn from observation
wells reveal excessive nitrate or organic concentration or even both.
(See discussion of problems and concerns, below). The quality of the
deeper groundwater beneath and downgradient of the SGPA is unknown, but
may be reflected in part by that of the water from three shallow Magothy
(3.75'-418') wells at the SCWA Wicks Road wellfield, which have up to 7.7
ppm nitrate and traces of organics in the two shallowest wells.
Most of the Magothy supply wells located downgradient of the SGPA
still have pristine water. These include the 283' and 654' wells at the
SCWA Industry Court wellfield, the 611' SCWA well at Locust Drive, the
515' and 753' wells at the Brentwood Water District Third Avenue
wellfield, and the 755' Brentwood well -at Morris Street. Slightly
elevated nitrate concentrations (2-2.5 ppm), however, have been detected
in the three 600+' wells at SCWA Emjoy Boulevard wellfied, and even
higher concentrations (5.2 ppm) have been found at the 436' well at the
Brentwood Morris Street Field.
Land Use - Institutional facilities, together with ancillary uses and
associated open land predominate, occupying some 60% of the area.
However, in terms of acreage committed to a specific use, open space - -
including publicly owned land, a golf.course and a cemetery - - consti-
tute the largest single category, accounting for more than one-fourth of
the entire SGPA. Utilities represent the second largest, with just
under one-fourth; and educational and health facilities, third largest
category, with also just under one-fourth. Industrial uses account for
a little less than one-tenth. See Table 20 for a quantification of
acreage by land use category.
Recreation and open space uses are located on portions of the
institutional properties. Approximately 700 acres of open space is
presently owned by the NYSDEC. This includes the former Edgewood State
Hospital property and adjacent lots. The Hamlet Golf Course is the only t
125
N�`
0
111
Table ZoExisting Land Use (acres) in the
Oak Brush Plains SGPA, 1989.
Existing Percent of
Land Use Category Land Use Total*
Residential
2
0.1
Vacant
367
11.7
Underwater Land
0
0.0
Commercial
80
2.6
Industrial
307
9.8
Institutional
763
24.4
Utilities
771
24.7
Open Space
825
26.4
Agricultural
10
0.3,
Total 3,125
* Column may not total 100®0 due to rounding.
Source: Long Island Regional Planning Board.
126
private recreational facility within the study area. It is located in
the northernmost section of the SGPA.
Utilities include the new Deer Park Long Island Railroad Station,
and expanded parking lot, located along the southern border of the study
area. Two park and ride areas are located adjacent to the Long Island
Expressway (LIE) exits within the SGPA.
Institutional uses, or health and educational facilities, comprise
the Pilgrim State Hospital, the Community College, a school, the YMHA
and a nursing home.
There are approximately 100 acres of vacant wooded land on the
Multi -town Solid Waste Management Authority property and an additional
88 acres on a parcel owned by the Town of Islip. A large area of open
fields is located on the SCCC property along Wicks Road. See Map 11.
There is a 300+ acre industrial development, the Heartland Indus-
trial Park, located south of the Pilgrim State Hospital complex. The
parcel has been completely cleared of vegetation and, as, of January
1988, industrial/commercial development had been initiated on about
one-fourth of the area. A large sand mining operation is located north
of the Long Island Expressway.
Scattered commercial uses are located -along Commack Road. There is
shopping at the intersection of Commack Road and the LIE, where there is
also a hotel facility and a large cinema complex. Other commercial uses
are located among mixed industrial uses, including a construction yard,
along Crooked Hill Road south of the LIE and along Long Island Avenue
near Commack Road.
127
Zoning —This SGPA has a wide rang of zoning categories since it is
located in four towns. However, due to the amount of publicly owned
land, the zoning is nota significant factor because many uses are
exempt from local zoning decisions. The public land in the Town of
Islip is all zoned for single family homes on one acre lots, while the
privately owned industrially zoned land has minimum lot requirements of
1/4 and 1/2 acre. The open space and institutional land in the Town of
Babylon is zoned for single family homes on 1/4 acre lots. The Town of
Huntington zoning provides for single family homes on 1/2 acre or one
acre lots.
Although it covers a small area, the zoning in the Town of
Smithtown is more complex. It encompasses three separate categories of
business districts, one of wholesale services and two of various types
of light and heavy industry, along with a small sector of residentially
zoned land with a minimum lot size of 1/4 acre.
Problems and Concerns - The aquifer system in and around the SGPA has
been impacted to varying degrees by point and non -point source contami-
nation associated with residential and institutional land use activi-
ties.
The region just south of Northern State Parkway has been heavily
impacted by organic chemicals that were first identified in private
wells along Crooked Hill Road. A 1982 SCDHS follow-up investigation
found total organic concentrations as high as 41,000 ppb; contamination
generally increased with depth in the upper 30 feet of aquifer (the only
horizon sampled). The source of this contamination was not identified,
but was probably illegal dumping at a recharge basin on Motor Parkway.
128
Possible, but less likely sources, included an old landfill located one
mile upgradient, and Deutsch Relays, located two miles upgradient, which
is known to have discharged organics with a similar 11fingerprint1°.
The central portion of the SGPA has also been affected by a number
of point and non -point sources. Road runoff impacts were detected in
test well B-1 installed on Commack Road during the Multi -town study.
Here chloride was slightly elevated (16 ppb) and .petroleum odors were
detected, although only lead (12 ppb) was found in the water sample.
Contamination of residential origin is evident 30'-40' below the water
table in SCDHS well S-43820 located just north of the Edgewood State
Hospital site on Commack Road. Nitrates have frequently exceeded 10
ppm, and chlorides have been as high as 18 ppm.
The Pilgrim State Hospital primary STP has had a considerable
impact on water quality in the central portion of the SGPA. Monitoring
wells immediately downgradient of the disposal beds have detected high
concentrations of organic nitrogen at the water table. Similar concen-
trations were also found just above the Gardiner (?) clay unit (90'
below the water table), and even in the upper Magothy aquifer beneath
the four foot thick clay unit, reflecting the large downward component
of,groundwater flow in the region. The downgradient limit of this
contamination is unknown. It was not detected in Multi -town well C-2
which may be west of the plume, or in SCDHS well S-45717, located at the
intersection of Sagtikos Parkway and Pine Aire Drive. The latter is
screened some 25'-35' below the water table and may therefore be too
shallow to intercept the plume.
The influence of golf course associated agricultural chemical'usage
on shallow water.quality beneath the northernmost portion of the SGPA
129
rA-
10 NJ
A
has not been monitored, but may be partially reflected in the four ppm
nitrate detected near the water table in SCDHS test well 5a, located
immediately downgradient on Daly Road near Commack Road. Additional
contamination is contributed by upgradient sources, including unsewered,
medium density (1/4-1/3 acre) residential development and institutional .
uses. The effect of these additional pollution sources is reflected in
the water quality in SCDHS observation well S-45210 on Hauppauge Road -
downgradient of the YMHA cesspool system and the Gurwin Geriatric Center
STP, where total nitrogen concentrations of 10-27 ppm (as nitrate) have
been detected 30 feet below the water table.
As the preceding discussion indicates, both point and non -point
sources have been and continue to be responsible for the degradation of
A
portions of the groundwater underlying the SGPA. Point sources include
two sewage treatment plants. The Gurwin Geriatric Center STP -on
Hauppauge Road is a new tertiary plant that has experienced start-up
difficulties. The Pilgrim State Hospital STP is an old primary plant
with limited treatment capability. In recent years flows have been in
the .5 to .8 mgd range, and are expected to continue until a new plant
is constructed or the hospital and the Brentwood Campus of Suffolk
Community College are hooked.into the Southwest Sewer District. The
unsatisfactory operation of the new facility, which served a relatively
small population, and the continuing reliance on an obsolete, totally
inadequate facility, which serves a large population, are clearly cause
for concern.
There are existing and potential non -point sources within and
upgradient of the SGPA. Existing sources include upgradient unsevered
_residential development at.three or more units per acre and improper or
130
illegal disposal of toxic materials at SGPA and upgradient sites. -The
Cornell University air photo inventory identified numerous open dumps, _
landfilling operations, and sand mines where contaminants may have been
disposed. An uncontrolled construction and demolition disposal site -
Expressway Aggregates near the LIE - was automatically placed on the
State Superfund list, although there were no allegations of illegal
toxic dumping at the site. Unpermitted dumping has occurred at a State
Superfund site located near the northern end of the Pilgrim State
property adjacent to Garofalo Carting Company, just west of .Crooked Hill
Road.
Potential sources include on-going or expanded unsevered industrial
operations, municipal solid waste disposal activities, illegal dumping
of waste at the old -filed map subdivision site, and the presence of the
Northville Industries pipeline. The pipeline, which carries petroleum
product from the Holtsville to the Plainview terminal, is pressure
tested annually pursuant to an agreement with the New York State Public
Service Commission. No problems have__been reported to date.
The maintenance of open areas that facilitate the percolation'of
clean rechargeis increasingly constrained by efforts to convert the
remaining undeveloped areas on the Hospital property and elsewhere to
commercial uses or to municipal uses not readily accommodated at other
locations. A 27 hole golf course has been converted to a condominium
surrounded by a greatly reduced, 18 hole golf course. Some of the
vacant land at the Pilgrim Psychiatric Center is scheduled to be used
for various types of not-for-profit housing. Vacant land at the SCCC
campus has been selected as the site for an arts facility and tourism
related activities. An 80 acre vacant parcel owned by the Town of Islip
131
has been chosen as the location for its new composting operation. Only
the property in the Town of Babylon that was used by Edgewood State
Hospital has been protected through the creation of the Oak Brush Plains
Preservation Area. The hospital has been demolished and the land
allowed to return to its natural state.
The gradual loss of the remaining open areas and the need to devise
strategies and techniques for slowing or offsetting that loss is a
continuing concern, especially in an area that has already suffered some
impairment of water quality.
Opportunities - Since virtually all of the acreage has already been
developed or committed to specific uses, opportunities to effect signif-
icant changes in the type or location of land uses and activities are
limited. However, there are numerous opportunities to mitigate the
impacts of the existing and proposed development.
Construction of a connection between the Southwest Sewer District
Commack Road interceptor and the Pilgrim State Hospital - SCCC collec-
tion system could provide water quality benefits through improved
treatment and out of area discharge of treated effluent. Older indus-
trial or commercial uses with permitted discharges to groundwater a Nva
considered likely to contaminate might be required to hook up where
economically feasible. Unlike the alternative plan, which called for
the upgrading or rebuilding of the existing STP and onsite discharge of
treated effluent, -interconnection with the Southwest Sewer District
interceptor follows the general recommendations for maximizing groundwa-
ter protection through the discharge of STP effluent outside the SGPA
whenever possible.
132
The redirection and expansion of State and local regulatory activi-
ties could reduce the inadvertent or deliberate mishandling of hazardous
materials or the disposal of hazardous waste. State and local prioriti-
zation of abandoned waste site investigations to target those likely to
have the greatest impact on SGPA water quality could enhance the value
of remediation expenditures.
Vacant portions of the old filed map subdivision could be acquired
and replatted to permit appropriate development and thus eliminate the
opportunity for illegal dumping. Finally, the retention of some por-
tions of the remaining unprotected open space could be achieved through
skillful site planning and the imposition of clearance limitations.
Recommendations
The State and Suffolk County should resume planning for the exten—
sion of the Southwest Sewer District collection system to serve the
Pilgrim State - SCCC complex. NYSDEC should prohibit any new construc-
tion or intensification of use of the.hospital or the SCCC Campus until
the hook-up to Southwest is in place.
At the same time, Suffolk County should investigate the feasibility
of connecting industrial and commercial establishments to an extended
collection system.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the
Suffolk County Department of Health Services should expand regulatory
activities and remediation efforts within the SGPA to preclude avoidable
contamination and, where feasible, reduce the impact of earlier storage
and disposal practices.
133
The Town of Smithtown should acquire and replat portions of the old
filed map subdivision on Crooked Hill Road. The Town should then sell
the new, larger lots - - subject to conservation easements and clearance
standards - - for industrial and commercial development, thus eliminat-
ing an opportunity for uncontrolled dumping and insuring the quality of
the future non-residential development in the area.
New York State, Suffolk County and the Town of Islip should maxi -
mite the preservation of existing open space within their respective
holdings so as to protect the remaining undisturbed recharge areas. See
Table 21 and 22 for plan land use by land use category and for a compar-
ison of existing and proposed acreage by land use category, respective-
ly. See Map 12 for location of Plan Land Uses.
134
Table -f Plan Land Use (acres) in the
Oak Brush Plains SGPA.
Land Use Category
SGPA Plan Land
Use
Percent of
Total**
Residential
125
4.0
Vacant
0
0.0
Underwater Land
0
0.0
Commercial
132
4.2
Industrial
288
9.2
Institutional
687
22.0
Utilities
779
24.9
Open Space
1,023
32.7
Agricultural
0
0.0
Others*
91
2.9
Total
3,125
* "Others" includes plan options, such as planned unit
development, landfill reclamation, relocation, etc., that
could not be assigned to a specific land use category.
** Column may not total 100.0 due to rounding.
Source® Long Island Regional Planning Board.
1145
L
A
H
W
ON
M
T� 2-2
M
0
Existing and Plan Land Use (acres) in the Oak Brush Plains SGPA
Land Use Category
Residential
Vacant
Underwater Land
Commercial
Industrial
Institutional
Utilities
Open Space
Agricultural
Others*
Total
1989 Existing Land SGPA Change in Land Use
Use Plan Land Use (+ = gain® - = loss)
2
125
+123
367
0
-367
0
0
0
80
132
+52
307
288
-19
763
687
-76
771
779
-+.8
825
1,023
+198
10
0
-10
--
qt
+91
3,125
3,125
* "Others" includes plan options, such as planned unit development, landfill reclamation,
relocation, etc., that could not be assigned to a specific land use category.
South Setauket Woods SGPA
General Background - The South Setauket Woods SGPA comprises 4,000 acres
in northwestern Brookhaven. With the exception of some 12 acres in the
Village of Lake Grove, the entire'SGPA is located within the
unincorporated portion of the Town. This predominantly undeveloped area
is surrounded by residential development to the west, north and east;
and by both residential and strip commercial development to the south.
The presence of the State University of New York at Stony Brook,
occupying approximately one fourth of the entire SGPA, has been the
single most important influence in shaping the development of the area.
Soils and Topography - Most of the SGPA is located within the
intermorainal outwash plain south of the Harbor Hill moraine. The
moraine traverses the southern portion of the SUNY Stony Brook campus
and the Northville -East Setauket terminal.
Three different soil associations -- the Carver -Plymouth -Riverhead,
the Haven -Riverhead and the Plymouth Carver -- are found in this SGPA.
The first of these, located in -the northern portion of the SGPA,
covers roughly 35 percent of the total area. A morainal association,
found mainly along the north shore, it is generally deep and well -
drained. The rolling landscape, many wooded areas, and proximity to
water make the acreage with soils in this association highly desirable
as sites for residential development.
The second association covers an area similar in size, but located
in the central portion of the SGPA. These soils define the southerly
outwash plain associated with the Harbor Hill Moraine. Slopes range
from one to twelve percent and, in -some areas, are pitted by steep -sided
137
kettle
holes.
This
association is
characterized by
medium -textured,
loamy
soils,
which
cause it to be
well -drained and
suitable for farming
or development.
The last, the Plymouth -Carver series; covers the remaining 30
percent of the SGPA. Outwash plain soils of this association occupy a
nearly level to slightly undulating, intermorainal area in the southern
portion of the SGPA. Widely separated drainage ways constitute the only
breaks in these relatively flat areas. Slopes range from one to eight
percent. The major soils in this association are coarse-textured,
droughty, and low in fertility. The droughty and infertile character of
the soil impedes the establishment and maintenance of lawns and founda-
tion plantings, while the coarse texture facilitates rapid percolation
to the water table, thus reducing the potential for contaminant attenua-
tion within the unsaturated zone.
Vegetation Associations
Most of the South Setauket Woods SGPA, whether developed or unde-
veloped, is still wooded. There are two distinctive types of woodland
vegetation -- deciduous hardwood forest in the north in the vicinity of
the moraine, and pine barrens in the south on the outwash plain.
The deciduous hardwood forests are found on fertile, well drained
soils and level to steep sloping topography. Red, black, white and
scarlet oak trees intermixed with various hickory species dominate the
vegetative association. In many locations, a heavy mountain laurel
understory occurs. Cleared or otherwise disturbed areas that are now
reverting to climax oak forest support fast growing flora, consisting
largely of trees and vines, including black locust, wild black cherry,
red cedar, ailanthus, grey birch, poison ivy, raspberries, multiflora tt
138
rose, catbriar, and grape. Old fields, abandoned farm or nursery fields
in various stages,of successional vegetation, are found at scattered
locations throughout the area.
In a few areas a high ground -water table has contributed to the
creation of a bottomland type of habitat. Moderate to steep slopes, low
elevation and the presence of red maple, black tupelo, gray birch, tulip
tree and American beech trees characterize these habitats.
The pine barrens are associated with the very dry conditions of the
outwash plains. Although rainfall volume is equivalent to that of other
areas, the soil is a highly acidic sand and sand -loam mixture from which
most nutrients are leached very quickly. Sunlight -to -ground penetration
is very intense. Pitch pine, found in combination with white oak, post
oak and scarlet oak, dominates the vegetative association. The ground
cover generally consists of shrubby and herbaceous plants, primarily
scrub oaks, blueberries, huckleberries and bracken ferns.
There is an approximately 1000 foot wide transitional zone where
morainal and outwash plain ecosystems meet. In a March 7, 1980 report,
"South Setauket Woods - Preliminary Environmental Analysis," prepared
for the Town of Brookhaven Planning Board, Thomas W. Cramer identified
it as a unique oak forest -pine barrens "transition zone." The report
stated that,the area where the moraine and outwash meet is also where
the forest types meet. This 'transition zone' is unique, for it is, one,
if not the only, location left in its natural state which reflects the
natural and geologic heritage of Long Island.
The Nature Conservancy has identified this area as one of the top
twenty locations within Suffolk County that is worthy of preservation
because of its size and diversity of species.
139
Rare and Endangered Species and Significant Habitats - The South
Setauket Woods SGPA includes a pine barrens community. The area south-
east of Setauket hamlet and north of Nesconset-Port Jefferson Highway
(Route 347) is described as an open canopy pine barrens with pitch pine,
white oak, black oak, and scarlet oak and an understory of scrub oak and
heath shrubs. Two rare species of pinweed and one animal of special
concern, the coastal barrens buckmoth, range throughout this associa-
tion.
Surface Waters and Freshwater Wetlands - A small, eight acre cluster of
freshwater wetlands is located in the northwest corner of the South
Setauket Woods SGPA along Nicolls Road on the Stony Brook Campus. These
are all ranked Class II wetlands.
Hydrogeology - The South Setauket Woods SGPA is located north of the
groundwater divide, which runs approximately east -west in the area just'
north of Route 25. The entire SGPA lies within deep recharge
Hydrogeologic Zone I where groundwater flow has a significant downward
component. The groundwater divide and the direction of flow in the SGPA
and vicinity are shown on Map 13.
Most of the SGPA is located within the intermorainal outwash plain
south of the Harbor Hill moraine. The moraine traverses the southern
portion of the SUNY Stony Brook campus and the Northville -East Setauket
terminal. Glacial deposits increase in thickness from about 100'-300'
in the north along the moraine to 250'-450' in the south near the
groundwater divide; this places the top of the Magothy aquifer 150 feet
or less below the water table near the moraine, and almost 400 feet
below the water table near the groundwater divide.
140
There is a clay unit, the Smithtown Clay, just below the water
table within the sequence of glacial outwash deposits throughout much,
if not most, of the area once occupied by a large post -glacial lake,
located north of the Ronkonkoma moraine. Unlike the marine -formed
Gardiners Clay on the south shore, the lacustrine Smithtown clay does
not appear to represent a significant sub -regional barrier to the
downward flow of recharge and the contamination it may contain. Howev-
er, localized restrictions to downward flow may be present, as seen at
the Northville -East Setauket terminal, where a clay unit causes signifi-
cant water table mounding and increased lateral flow.
The direction of horizontal ground -water flow is primarily north-
ward throughout most of the SGPA, with increasing westerly and easterly
components in the northern portion due to the influence of Smithtown Bay
and Port Jefferson Harbor, respectively. Horizontal flow rates are
generally on the order of one foot per day.
Water Supply - The Suffolk County Water Authority provides potable water
to residential and non-residential consumers within the SGPA. There are
four SCWA well fields within the boundaries of the SGPA, and another
four that are located adjacent to -or immediately downgradient of the
area. Table 23 lists the well fields by location, capacity and 1987
1 average pumpage.
A
141
The -combined 1987 average daily pumpage of 7.7 mgd represents about
20 percent of the total installed pumping capacity at the fields;
approximately 2 mgd was used by SUNY Stony Brook. It should be noted
that maximum day pumpage is usually estimated at 4-5 times average daily
pumpage for a large system like the SCWA's.
Water Quality - The quality of the groundwater, within and proximate to
the SGPA, as inferred from public supply well data, is generally good to
excellent (good: nitrate 1-6 ppm, only intermittent traces of organics;
excellent: ambient, with nitrate less than 1 ppm., no organics).
Nonetheless, there are several significant water quality problems,
including the contamination caused by the major gasoline spill at the
Northville Terminal.
Unsewered medium density residential development in the region
upgradient of the SGPA near the ground -water divide appears to have had
an adverse impact on shallow water quality. The degrading effect of too
closely spaced on site systems is reflected by the 150' glacial produc-
tion well at the SCWA's Hawkins Road wellfield, located just upgradient
of the SGPA. Prior to its closure in 1983, water from this well had
nitrates in the 13-16 ppm range, and total organic solvent
142
Table 23
Well
Fields Within the SGPA
Capacitv
1987 Pumpage
SCWA
Oak Street
5.18 mgd
1.50 mgd
SCWA
Daniel Webster Drive
5.11 mgd
1.23 mgd
SCWA
Henry Clay Drive
5.18 mgd
1.11 mgd
SCWA
Oxhead Road
4.97 mSd
.90 mgd
20.44 mgd
4.74 mgd
Fields Adjacent to the SGPA
Capacity
1987 Pumpage
SCWA
Hawkins Road
5.18 mgd
.27 mgd
SCWA
Sherry Drive
5.47 mgd
1.09 mgd
SCWA
Mud Road
4.35 mgd
.62 mgd
SCWA
Stem Lane
3.46 mSd
.96 mgd
18.36 mgd
2.94 mgd
The -combined 1987 average daily pumpage of 7.7 mgd represents about
20 percent of the total installed pumping capacity at the fields;
approximately 2 mgd was used by SUNY Stony Brook. It should be noted
that maximum day pumpage is usually estimated at 4-5 times average daily
pumpage for a large system like the SCWA's.
Water Quality - The quality of the groundwater, within and proximate to
the SGPA, as inferred from public supply well data, is generally good to
excellent (good: nitrate 1-6 ppm, only intermittent traces of organics;
excellent: ambient, with nitrate less than 1 ppm., no organics).
Nonetheless, there are several significant water quality problems,
including the contamination caused by the major gasoline spill at the
Northville Terminal.
Unsewered medium density residential development in the region
upgradient of the SGPA near the ground -water divide appears to have had
an adverse impact on shallow water quality. The degrading effect of too
closely spaced on site systems is reflected by the 150' glacial produc-
tion well at the SCWA's Hawkins Road wellfield, located just upgradient
of the SGPA. Prior to its closure in 1983, water from this well had
nitrates in the 13-16 ppm range, and total organic solvent
142
concentrations consistently in the 20-30 ppb range. Some of this
contamination had passed through 50' of Smithtown clay and, by 1983, had
reached a 552' Magothy well at the Hawkins Road site. By 1988, nitrate
concentrations had risen to 3.5-4.8 ppm. No organics were found. The
604' Magothy well at the same wellfield remains unimpacted.
Groundwater quality below the undeveloped central portions of the
SGPA can be assumed to be pristine. This region, however, constitutes
only a small percentage of the SGPA area:
Stormwater runoff and at least one petroleum spill have impacted
shallow groundwater quality farther north along Route 347.
Land Use - Approximately 1,400 acres, or 35 percent of the land, is
vacant. Some 173 acres of the vacant land are within old filed subdivi-
sions. These subdivisions, which were platted prior to 1933, contain
there are also 177 acres of Town par"klan_ and Suffolk County Nature
Preserve.
Land in institutional uses accounts for the greatest area within a
single developed land use category. The State University of New York at
Stony Brook comprises over 1,000 acres. To date much of this acreage
has remained; undeveloped; however, proposed projects include a conven-
tion center and a Veterans Hospital. Table 24 presents a summary of
total acreage by land use category.
Residential uses occupy a small part of the study area. The
majority of the residential subdivisions are served by public water.
Even though existing residential use is limited in the SGPA, .there is
on-going development. New or planned residential developments include a
143
parcels that are
substandard in size
but
legally developable if
they
have remained in
separate ownership.
In
addition to the vacant
land,
there are also 177 acres of Town par"klan_ and Suffolk County Nature
Preserve.
Land in institutional uses accounts for the greatest area within a
single developed land use category. The State University of New York at
Stony Brook comprises over 1,000 acres. To date much of this acreage
has remained; undeveloped; however, proposed projects include a conven-
tion center and a Veterans Hospital. Table 24 presents a summary of
total acreage by land use category.
Residential uses occupy a small part of the study area. The
majority of the residential subdivisions are served by public water.
Even though existing residential use is limited in the SGPA, .there is
on-going development. New or planned residential developments include a
143
Table 24Existing Land Use (acres) in the
South Setauket Woods SGPA, 1989.
Total 4,144
*This acreage includes the 40 acre, forever wild Ashley
Schiff nature preserve located on the SUNY @ Stony
Brook campus.
** Column may not total 100.0 due to rounding.
Source: Long Island Regional Planning Board.
x
144
Existing
Percent of
Land Use Category
Land Use
Total**
Residential
801
19.3
Vacant
1,407
34.0
Underwater Land
0
0.0
Commercial
50
1.2
Industrial
89
2.1
Institutional
1,167*
28.2
Utilities
304
7.3
Open Space
307
7.4
Agricultural
19
0.5
Total 4,144
*This acreage includes the 40 acre, forever wild Ashley
Schiff nature preserve located on the SUNY @ Stony
Brook campus.
** Column may not total 100.0 due to rounding.
Source: Long Island Regional Planning Board.
x
144
60 acre condominium project in the northeastern corner of the area and a
proposed single family subdivision of 44 homes.
Agricultural use.consists of 19 acres of farms and nurseries; while
recreational use is limited to a single 129 acre property, the St.
George Golf and Country Club.
Commercial land uses within the study area include a gas station,
tennis club, retail stores, farm stand, lumber yard, hotel, and two
small office buildings. However, developers have proposed major commer-
cial facilities encompassing more than 100 acres along Nesconset-Port
Jefferson Highway.
Industrial uses comprise a 60 acre bulk fuel storage and distribu-,
tion terminal located in the northeastern corner of the SGPA and a
variety of manufacturing and service enterprises along Belle Meade
(Terminal) Road. Utilities and transport, primarily a LILCO high
tension line and right of way and a petroleum pipeline located along the
same right of way, occupy the'remaihder of the area.
Zoning - The SGPA is zoned for residential, industrial, commercial and
mixed use development. The industrially and commercially zoned parcels
are located in the heart of the area, for the most part, in a north -
south corridor extending from the Northville Terminal to Route 347.
Residential land, zoned at one acre per dwelling unit but in some cases
already developed at higher densities, surrounds the industrial, busi-
ness and mixed use area.
Problems and Concerns
The aquifer system in and around the SGPA has been affected to
varying degrees by point and non -point source contamination associated
145
for the most part, with residential, commercial and industrial land uses
and activities.
Point sources include two active sewage treatment plants - - Stony
Hollow (formerly University Gardens)'and The Lakes at Setauket - - both
located on Old Town Road. The Stony Hollow secondary treatment plant
has had a history of operational difficulties, and is under orders to
upgrade to tertiary. The,Lakes at Setauket plant is a new, tertiary
facility. A third plant along Old Town Road north of Route 347 is
proposed for Lakeview Estates. Since January 1989, the Strathmore
secondary treatment plant (Suffolk Couunty Sewer -District 10), which
formerly discharged to ground water, has diverted the flow to the SUNY
Stony Brook plant, which discharges to Port Jefferson Harbor.
Additional point sources include communal cesspool systems at the
112 -unit Setauket Knolls Garden Apartments, located south of Nesconset '
Highway and at SCSD #19 (Mark Tree Estates), located south of Hawkins
Road, which serves over 70 private homes.
The SUNY Stony Brook power plant, which has a permit to recharge
cooling water, and the Northville Terminal, which has a permit to
discharge pavement drainage from the loading area to a recharge basin
once the drainage has passed through an oil/water, separator, are among
the few other facilities within or immediately upgradient of the SGPA
with SPDES permits for large sanitary or industrial discharges to ground
water.
Groundwater quality north of the SGPA varies. The one million
gallon gasoline spill -at the Northville Terminal has severely impacted.
groundwater in the immediate vicinity of the terminal, but no extensive
downgradient movement of free-floating product has been identified.
146
Dissolved components of gasoline (benzene, toluene, xylene, etc.) have
been detected 100 feet below the water table beneath the terminal site
And a shallow plume of BTX and organic solvents (from a vapor recovery
system on site) has been tracked some 1,200 feet northeast of the
terminal. To date, quality at the SCWA's Sherry Drive well field,
located over one mile downgradient (NNW) of the Northville terminal, has
not been affected. The Northville Industries pipeline from the unload-
ing facilities at Port Jefferson to the East Setauket terminal and from
that terminal to the Holtsville terminal is pressure tested every year
in accordance with an agreement with the New York State Public Service
Commission. Thus far, no problems have been detected.
Farther to the west, pollution attributed to residential develop-
ment has impacted the SCWA's Mud Road well field, where the 127' glacial
ppm. The two deep Magothy wells at Mud Road, which have not been
impacted, now handle the pumping load.
Stormwater runoff and at least one petroleum spill have impacted
shallow ground -water quality along Route 347. Stormwater runoff impacts
are evident in the increasing concentrations of chloride and sodium in
samples from a SCDHS test well located at the intersection of Route 347
and Pond Path. A 7,000 gallon gasoline spill at Route 347 and Mark Tree
Road in 1987 resulted in free product floating on the water table.
Thus far, test wells and private wells north of the highway remain
unaffected by free or dissolved product.
Most of the central and northern portions of the SGPA lie
downgradient of residential development or have been covered .by
147
well was taken
off line
in late 1988
due to solvent
(TCA)
contamination.
At the time of
closure,
nitrates in
the well were in
the
range of 4-6
ppm. The two deep Magothy wells at Mud Road, which have not been
impacted, now handle the pumping load.
Stormwater runoff and at least one petroleum spill have impacted
shallow ground -water quality along Route 347. Stormwater runoff impacts
are evident in the increasing concentrations of chloride and sodium in
samples from a SCDHS test well located at the intersection of Route 347
and Pond Path. A 7,000 gallon gasoline spill at Route 347 and Mark Tree
Road in 1987 resulted in free product floating on the water table.
Thus far, test wells and private wells north of the highway remain
unaffected by free or dissolved product.
Most of the central and northern portions of the SGPA lie
downgradient of residential development or have been covered .by
147
industrial and institutional land uses that have impacted quality in the
glacial aquifer and the upper part of the Magothy aquifer. For example,
moderately elevated nitrates (3-7 ppm) are present in samples from the
shallowest wells at Oxhead Road (264' Magothy), Daniel Webster Drive
(178' Glacial), and Oak Street (288' and 294' Glacial). Although
drinking water standards have not been exceeded, the Oak Street well
samples have consistently shown traces of organic solvents unrelated to
the Northville spill, prompting planning for the installation of a
carbon filter. The 315' Magothy well at Stem Lane has also shown traces
of the solvent trichloroethane; however, at present, no treatment is
planned.
As previously noted, upgradient medium density residential develop-
ment outside the SGPA has already caused the degradation of ground -water
quality within the southernmost portion of the South Setauket Woods
area.
There are about 20 facilities, including three on the west side of
Terminal Road, with Suffolk County Sanitary Code Article 12 permits
governing hazardous materials storage and handling. No monitoring data
are available with which to assess possible ground -water impacts due to
past storage and disposal practices or inadvertent discharges. It
should be noted that 'these and all other commercial and industrial
facilities in the SGPA are subject to Sanitary Code Article 7 restric-
tions, which prohibit the storage of organic solvents in excess of 250
gallons or the addition of more than this volume of storage, if the
facility was in existence prior to 1985. However, industrial uses, even
when subject to the constraints imposed by the Sanitary Code, are
inappropriate in SGPA's. For that reason, the proposed Southgate
148
Industrial/Residential development, the first phase of which is under
construction, is also a concern.
The Cornell University airphoto inventory did not identify any
significant dumping or. waste disposal activities within or upgradient of
the SGPA. Photos from 1962 and 1972, however, did indicate the exis-
tence of two small open dumps -- off Oxhead Road and Old Town Road --
and three small sandpit operations along Nesconset Highway -- two -east
of the LILCO right-of-way, and one southeast of the intersection with
Mark Tree Road.
Future development on the State University campus at Stony Brook,
with the resultant intensification of land uses and activities, is
likely to increase the consumptive use of groundwater and decrease the
opportunities for clean recharge. Proposed industrial development could
cause a locally significant loss of natural vegetation and the,creation
of potential sources of groundwater contamination.
The old filed map areas may become areas of haphazard infill and
substandard development, while the existing agricultural land and golf
course could offer the potential for change to less appropriate uses.
Opportunities - Although roughly one-third of the total area of the SGPA
remains vacant, the location of vacant parcels and the magnitude of
development- pressures have limited, but not eliminated, the opportuni-
ties for public preservation of a few large tracts of contiguous open
space. Given the character of the existing development and the ongoing
intensification of uses.on the University campus and along Nesconset
Highway, it has become increasingly important to preserve and to retain
the maximum amount of open land for recharge, for conservation and for
recreation.
149
Condemnation, replatting and clustering of the previously subdivid-
ed 100+ acre parcel east of Pond Path and north of Route 347 and of the
150 acre old filed map subdivision between Nichols Road and Route 347
could provide open land in a key location where some of it could be
linked to existing public parklands.
State University recognition of the need to retain most of the
remaining open land at Stony Brook in order to offset some of the
effects of the increasingly intensive use of the 1000 acre campus,
together with county or municipal action to acquire the St. George Golf
Course and County Club, were it to be offered for sale, could ensure the
retention of important open areas.
There are opportunities to eliminate or reduce point and non -point
sources of contamination, especially those emanating from small sewage
treatment plant operations or onsite systems. The regionalization of
existing collection and treatment facilities and the consolidation of
operations at one or at most two plants with effluent discharge outside
the area could effectively eliminate several existing and potential
sources. Expanded regional facilities could accommodate sewage flow
from currently unsewered areas where densities are too great for satis-
factory onsite treatment could thus reduce non -point source
contamination. Significant losses in ground -water storage, if any,
could be offset by the promotion and adoption of conservation measures.
See Appendix for a discussion of conservation programs.
The potential for industry -related ground -water degradation could
be reduced by amending the zoning ordinance to change the zoning catego-
ry of the northern portion of the Southgate property from industrial to
residential, and by the imposition of "sunset" provisions on Selected ,
150
t
7
industrial and commercial activities that pose a serious, well-document-
ed threat to ground water.
Reductions in allowable residential densities wherever feasible
could minimize damage from onsite systems, fertilizer use and occasional
careless use or disposal of household products.
Finally, there is an opportunity to provide a new well site at a
location within the County greenbelt east of the LILCO power line,
should one be necessary to replace the Oak Street site.
Recommendations
The County and the Town of Brookhaven should assure the permanent
preservation of open space. The County and Town should continue to
purchase or otherwise acquire the fee or lesser interests in parcels
adjacent to the existing greenbelt.
The County or the Town should attempt to purchase the old filed map
subdivisions and retain the land in its natural state whenever watershed
and wellhead protection or valuable habitat preservation needs warrant.
Where outright preservation cannot be justified, the Town should acquire
the old filed map subdivision -- through condemnation, if necessary --
and should replat to permit clustering at a lower, more environmentally
acceptable density. The Town and the Village of Lake Grove should
rezone as necessary to limit or where possible eliminate potential
sources of pollution. The Town and the Village should rezone vacant
subdividable residential land and privately owned recreational land to
ensure that most future development will be based on an average density
of at least two acres per unit. Small subdivisions at less than two
151
acres per unit should be allowed in areas where they will be surrounded
by existing higher density developments. _
The Town of Brookhaven should rezone the portion of the Southgate
property north of the ridge line from industrial to low density (2 acre)
clustered residential.
The Town should prohibit new multi -family development on the
Carrefour site and -elsewhere in the SGPA unless sewage treatment with
effluent disposal outside the SGPA is available.
Suffolk County and the Town should investigate and act to reduce or
mitigate the effects of existing sources of contamination. The Town, in
cooperation with the Suffolk County Department of Health Services should
review and consider the nature of industrial and commercial activities
within the SGPA and their impact on ground -water. It should evaluate
the need to impose special conditions or require the phaseout of
activities known to damage the ground water.
Suffolk County should establish a new consolidated sewer district
covering the SGPA and adjacent area. A single district with boundaries
extending beyond the SGPA could facilitate the regionalization of sewage
collection and treatment with effluent discharge outside the SGPA and
could facilitate the extension of service to unsewered portions of the
district where on site systems are causing ground -water degradation.
The County should work with the Suffolk Water Authority in selecting and
reserving a future well site within the Suffolk County greenbelt.
See Table 25 for Plan Land Use; Table 26 for a comparison of
existing and proposed acreage by land use category; and Map 15 for the
location of Plan Land Uses.
152
A
Ek
Table25 Plan Land Use (acres) in the
South Setauket Woods SGPA.
Land Use Category
SGPA Plan Land
Use
Percent of
Total**
Residential
1,319
31.8
Vacant
0
0.0
Underwater Land
0
0.0
Commercial
71
1.7
Industrial
205
5.0
Institutional
1,154
27.9
Utilities
375
9.0
Open Space
1,020
24.6
Agricultural
0
0.0
Others*
--
Total
4,144
* "Others" includes plan options, such as planned unit
development, landfill reclamation, relocation, etc., that
could not be assigned to a specific land use category.
** Column may not total 100.0 due to rounding.
Source: Long Island Regional Planning Board.
153
Table 26 -Existing and Plan Land Use (acres) in the sotah setauket Woods SGPA
1989 Existing Land SGPA Change in Land Use
Land Use Category
Use Plan Land Use (+ = gain® - = loss)
Residential
*
801
1,319
+518
1,407
0
-1,407
Vacant
Underwater Land
0
0
0
50
71
4-21
Commercial
89
205
+116
Industrial
Institutional
1,167
1,154
-13
304
'375
+71
Utilities
307
1,020
+713
Open Space
19
0
-19
Agricultural
Others*
Total
4,144
4,144
"Others" includes plan options, that coulduch anotplanned
assigneddevelopment,
specificlandfill
usereclamation,
category.
relocation, etc.,
N
M
01
N
Central Suffolk SGPA
General Backaround - The Central Suffolk SGPA, the largest of
the nine SGPAs, covers 125,000 acres or approximately 195.3 square
miles within the Towns of Brookhaven, Riverhead and Southampton and
a small portion of Southold. Approximately half of the SGPA lies
within Brookhaven. Almost 90% of the land in the Town of
Riverhead, approximately 40% of that in the Town of Brookhaven, and
nearly 33% of that in Southampton are included within the SGPA.
Central Suffolk comprises virtually all of the Pine Barrens
as officially designated by Suffolk County, an adjacent area to the
northwest and a large woodland and farm area to the east. Open
woodlands characterize the Brookhaven, Southampton and Southold
portions of the area; farmlands characterize the Riverhead portion.
The boundaries approximate those of deep flow Hydrogeologic zone
III, the zone with the best quality groundwater, plus the portion
of the Hydrogeologic Zone ISI on the North Fork west of Mattituck
Inlet.
The pattern of development generally reflects the eastward
pressure of urbanization, the desirability of resort areas, the
quality of agricultural lands and public and private efforts to
preserve the recreation opportunities and unique habitats of the
SGPA.
Soils and Topography - Four different soils associations are
found in the Central Suffolk SGPA. The Haven -Riverhead association
covers the northern and northeastern portion of the SGPA as well
as the central section in the vicinity of the William Floyd
155
I
Parkway, or approximately 40% of the entire SGPA. The well®
drained, medium -textured soils of this association define the
outwash plain. Nearly level, with slopes ranging from 1 to 12
percent, these deep soils have a high moisture capacity and are
suitable for farming or development.
The Riverhead -Plymouth -Carver association is found along the
southern border, in the areas of Yaphank, South Manor, and
Eastport, and includes approximately 12 per cent of the SGPA. This
association is made up of well -drained, coarse-textured soils of
the southern outwash plain laid down by outwash deposition beyond
the limits of the glacier and therefore free of kettle hole
formations. Characteristically nearly level, slopes generally
range from one to six percent, except on the sides of drainage
channels, where slopes can range from eight to 35 percent. This
association is mainly in woods or within areas of urban expansion.
Level topography, ease of excavation, and good drainage generally
make this association well suited to urban and suburban
developments.
Nearly level and undulating, Plymouth -carver Association soils
are found along the eastern half of the southern border, including
the area around Suffolk County Airport. This soil association,
which can also be found in the North Selden and Coram areas,
accounts for approximately 15 per cent of the SGPA area. These
outwash plain soils are excessively drained, coarse-textured, and
droughty. Nearly level, with slopes ranging from one to eight
percent, these soils offer few limitations to development.
156
However, the extremely permeable soils present the potential for
groundwater contamination from cesspools and septic tanks and .are
poorly suited for farming.
Rolling and hilly Plymouth -Carver soils cover the central
portion of the SGPA, including the Peconic River corridor, and
account for approximately 30 percent of the area. Located on the
Ronkonkoma moraine, this association consists of soils that are
characteristically strongly sloping to steep, with slopes ranging
from eight to 35 percent. The soils are coarse-textured, droughty,
and highly permeable, thus presenting the potential for groundwater
contamination from cesspools and septic tanks. Steep slopes,
together with difficulties in establishing and maintaining lawns
and landscapes, severely limit these soils for housing or similar
development.
Vegetation Association - The major association found within .
the SGPA is the outwash plain and morainal pine -oak forest that
constitutes the Long Island Pine Barrens. The -pine barrens zone,
which extends from Hauppauge through the Central Suffolk SGPA east
to Bridgehampton, is interspersed with wetland habitats associated
with the Carmans River and Peconic River systems. The pine barrens
habitat is generally characterized by very dry conditions --
rainfall is usually less than 40" per, year -- and there is very
good sunlight with high'ground penetration. The soil is a highly
acidic sand and sand -loam mixture from which most nutrients are
rapidly leached. In addition, very little humus is produced in the
soil due to the high acidity resulting from the tannic acid content
157
R
of the fallen pine needles and oak leaves. The vegetation in the
Long Island Pine Barrens consists mostly of pitch pine, which is
dominant, along with white oak, post oak and scarlet oak.
According to John R. Cryan in the July, 1980 issue of The Heath
Hen,
The structure of pine barrens vegetation, as well as its
species constituents, is very distinctive. Most upland
pine barrens areas are known as "shrub savannas" by
vegetation scientists because they consist of dense knee -
to head -high chestnut oak, and smaller shrub species like
black huckleberry, lowbush blueberries, sweet fern,
winterberry., pine barrens heather, sheep laurel, prairie
willow, and bearberry, overtopped by a broken canopy of
slender, scraggly pitch pine and small tree -sized oaks.
The shrub layer is usually dominant, whereas in a typical
eastern deciduous forest, the tree layer predominates,
allowing little light to penetrate to the shrub layer,
which consequentially is sparse and irregular. The
herbaceous or non -woody plant layer of pine barrens
areas, incorporated within or beneath the dense shrub
layer, contains many unusual and rare species (such as
bracken fern, wild indigo, blue lupine, American goat's -
rue, narrow -leaved aster, and birdsfoot violet) which can
only grow in the open sun -drenched pine barrens
vegetation, and which die if shaded by other plants.
This type of habitat is fire dependent and, therefore,
identified as a fire climax forest. Periodic natural wild fires
are required to maintain the Long Island Pine Barrens vegetation.
Most of the plants and animals found in the pine barrens possess
one or more characteristics that allow them to survive frequent
fires, thus contributing to the perpetuation of the pine -oak
ecosystem.
The Pine Bush or Dwarf Pine Plains is an interesting variation
of the Pine Barrens found in the. Central Suffolk SGPA. Although
nearly identical to the Pine Barrens in the diversity of its flora,
158
this microhabitat is distinguished by dwarf pitch pines that grow
no taller than six or seven feet. The area is probably more xeric
than the standard pine barrens, since a smaller proportion of broad
leaf oak species in the brush allows better sunlight to ground
penetration. The Dwarf Pine Plains covers about 3,000 acres
northwest, west and adjacent to the Suffolk County Airport in
Westhampton.
North of the hamlet of Riverhead and the Peconic River, the
vegetation changes from a pine barrens to an upland deciduous
forest association in which oaks dominate the canopy, although
American beech can account for more than 20% of the canopy.
Greller, in his publication on mature forests on Long Island,,
identifies this type of association as oak, beech, mixed dicot
forest, noting that sweet birch is a common subcanopy tree along
with dogwood, and that the shrub density in these woods is low and
the herb layer floristically poor. The area adjacent to Laurel
Lake provides an example of such a woodland association.
In the past, farming was an important activity within the
Central Suffolk SGPA; therefore, old field habitats can be found
scattered throughout the SGPA wherever agricultural fields have
been allowed to lie fallow. The overgrown or old field habitats
vary in respect to the dominant type of growth. The herb dominated
fields typically contain goldenrods and asters with Queen Anne's
lace, yarrow, bush clover, evening -primrose and chicory also
present. Various grass species, including little bluestem, may
also occur along with big bluestem and fescue. , As succession
159
a
proceeds, the old field habitat is invaded by shrubs including
eastern red cedar, northern bayberry, autumn olive, multiflora
rose, sumac and raspberry. The shrub layer eventually becomes
dominant. In the later stages of succession, trees such as black
locusts, red cedar, ailanthus, and grey birch, as well as
undergrowth including wild blackberry, poison ivy, raspberry,
multiflora rose, catbriar and grape form a first growth woods.
Rare and Endangered Species and Significant Habitats - The
Central Suffolk SGPA is not only the largest SGPA but contains the
greatest number of habitats of rare and endangered species. A
total of 137 natural elements were reported within its boundaries.
Among the habitat communities identified in this SGPA by the
,Natural Heritage Program are pitch pine -oak -heath woodland, dwarf
pine plains, coastal plain Atlantic white cedar swamp, pine barrens
shrub swamp, coastal plain pond shore, cardinal flower and coastal
plain poor fern.
Many rare and endangered species can be found in or near the
extensive Peconic River wetland system. Especially high
concentrations of species were located west of Wading River/Schultz
Road among a chain of ponds and associated wetlands. Species
common throughout this region include the pine barrens gerardia
(R), lespedeza (R), coastal- barrens buckmoth (SC), and tiger
salamander (E). Several individual occurrences of species were
also noted within this SGPA. The grasshopper sparrow (SC) and
northern cricket frog (T) have been reported near Swan Pond in
Riverhead. Tall tick -clover (T) and the silvery aster (S) have
160
r""
A
been sighted in the Manorville area. Two threatened animal
species, the osprey and a rare turtle species, have been reported
as ranging throughout the Penny Pond and WehrmanIs Pond area in
Southport.
New York State has designated the Peconic River and its
environs as a Wild, Scenic, and Recreational River and NYSDOS has
designated it a Significant Fish and Wildlife Habitat. This river
corridor habitat extends approximately 15 miles from County Rte®
73, in the center of Riverhead, to the river's tributaries in the
western portion of Peconic River County Park. Nearly all of the
upper watershed remains relatively undisturbed. The river supports
extensive bog and freshwater marsh communities. The entire length
of the Peconic River is a productive habitat for warm water
fisheries. Some of the more abundant species that naturally
reproduce here include largemouth bass, yellow perch and chain
pickerel. in addition, the Peconic River is one of only two
localities in the State that support populations of banded sunfish.
The abundant fisheries resources of the Peconic, support a
recreational freshwater fishery of regional significance. The
river's associated wetlands furnish an outstanding habitat for a
variety of avian wildlife, including Canada geese, black duck,
great blue heron, white-tailed deer, and little brown bat. Peconic
River County Park provides public access to the river':s fish and
wildlife resources.
One natural element, the rare pine barren sand wort, has been
found in the northwest corner of the SGPA. Twenty-four different
161
ri
rare and endangered species have been identified in the central
portion. The Carmans River and its associated wetlands provide
habitat for many of these species, including the silvery aster (E),
whip nutrush (R), southern yellow flax (T) and tiger salamander
(E). Other species have been identified near freshwater wetlands
scattered throughout the SGPA. A small wetland association in the
vicinity of Granny Rd. supports populations of pine barren sandwort
(R) and three -ribbed spikerush (T). Two rare plant species, the
dwarf bullrush and slender pinweed, have been found near Artist
Lake and nesting osprey (T) were identified near the Suffolk
Meadows race track.
New York State and NYSDOS have also designated the Carmans
River as a Wild, Scenic, and Recreational River and a Significant
Fish and Wildlife Habitat, respectively. The designated portion
of the habitat within the Central Suffolk SGPA covers approximately
five miles of the river. This area extends northward from the
SGPAIs southern boundary to the river's headwaters in Cathedral
Pines County Park, just south of Middle Country Rd. Vegetation
� ,
along this section includes both pine -oak forest and deciduous
forested wetlands. During spring and summer months, the Carmans
River provides suitable nesting habitat for osprey. Other bird
species that utilize the area include the rough -legged hawk, red-
tailed hawk, marsh wren, and many species of waterfowl. White-
tailed deer, eastern cottontail, raccoon and muskrat also use the
area. An abundance of freshwater fish, including brook trout,
brown trout, rainbow trout, yellow perch and carp may be found in
il
162
the upper reaches of the river. New York State also stocks the
river with trout each year.
The dwarf pine plains community near Suffolk County Airport
in Westhampton provides habitat for many animal species, including
three rare lepidoptera species. In addition,the largest and most
dense population of coastal barrens buckmoth (SC) in New York is
found in the dwarf pine plains community.
Surface Waters and Freshwater Wetlands - A main feature of the
freshwater wetlands within the Central Suffolk SGPA is the
abundance of streams, lakes and upland wetlands associated with the
Peconic and Carmans river systems. There is a total of 2083 acres
of wetlands distributed throughout the length of the Peconic system
from the Brookhaven National Laboratory to Riverhead. Numerous
Class I freshwater wetlands occupy extensive acreage along the
stream and its tributaries. Other wetlands in proximity to the
Peconic have been categorized as Class II and III wetlands.
A significant portion of the freshwater wetlands, some 868
acres, is associated with the Carmans River. This river and its
associated wetlands originate in Middle Island and extend through
the southeast corner of the SGPA. This system is ranked as a Class
I wetland.
There are other significant freshwater wetlands within this
SGPA, among them a cluster of wetlands in the southwest corner in
the vicinity of South Manor, as well as wetlands associated with
creeks that flow into Moriches Bay.
Some larger pond systems, such as Sears Pond, Bellows Pond,
163
Penny Pond and House Pond, are located in the Flanders area. These
have been ranked, for the most part, as Class I and Class II
wetlands.
In the eastern end of the SGPA, in the Town of Southold, there
are a number of wetlands, including Laurel Lake -- a large kettle
hole -- and its environs. These have been listed as Class II and
Class III wetlands.
The surface waters of the Central Suffolk SGPA include several
creeks and streams located in the southeasternmost part of the
SGPA. Three of the streams originate within the area, flow north
towards the SGPA boundary and eventually empty into Flanders Bay.
Other streams cross the southern boundary of the SGPA and flow
towards Great South Bay and Shinnecock Bay.
Smaller wetlands can also be found associated with several
lakes and ponds in the Middle Island area. The majority of these
'are, Class II wetlands. The remainder of the wetlands in this
general area are found in small clusters and are primarily Class
I. wetlands .
In all, the Central Suffolk SGPA contains a total of 4361
acres of wetlands.
Hydrocteology --The boundaries of the Central Suffolk SGPA
encompass regions of deep aquifer recharge on both sides (north
and south) of the main groundwater divide, which traverses central
Brookhaven and on both sides of the North and South Fork divides,
which extend east of the headwaters of the Peconic River. These
boundaries approximate those of deep flow Hydrogeologic Zone III,
164
with the addition of inland portions of the North Fork west of
Mattituck inlet (Hydrogeologic Zone IV).
About two-thirds of the SGPA lies within the outwash plain
located between the Harbor Hill and Ronkonkoma terminal moraines;
the other third lies within or south of deposits of the Ronkonkoma
moraine, which extends east -west across the southern Brookhaven and
northern Southampton portions of the SGPA. Glacial deposits within
the SGPA are generally on the order of 200-300 feet thick, and the
top of the Magothy aquifer is generally found 125-175 feet below
the water table. There are exceptions in areas where the Magothy
has been eroded, such as north -central Brookhaven, where 600-700
feet of glacial deposits fill a northeast -southwest trending valley
from Rocky Point to Centereach, and the North Fork near Mattituck
inlet, where the thickness of glacial deposits reaches as much as
500+ feet.
The Gardiners Clay unit is present as a 10-20 foot thick
mixture of clay and sand separating the upper glacial and Magothy
aquifers throughout much of the region south of the Ronkonkoma
moraine, extending north of the moraine only in the area of
Brookhaven National Laboratory. It does not, however, appear to
be a significant hydrologic barrier to Magothy recharge within the
SGPA. The Smithtown clay unit has been identified within the
sequence of glacial deposits between the two moraines throughout
much of the SGPA west of Middle Island, and may be present as far
east as Manorville. Found at or above sea level, the Smithtown
clay often contains silt or sand, and does not appear to have any
165
C
regional effect on downward flow within the groundwater system.
The North Fork clayunit which is
generally found 60 or more feet
below sea level, has been identified west of Mattituck inlet in the
area of Northville®Jamesport, and is probably responsible for the
higher than expected water table elevations in the area. The North
Fork clay also confines lower glacial and Magothy deposits,
resulting in an easterly extension of fresh water within these
units.
Groundwater Flow ® Shallow groundwater flow velocities within
the SGPA are generally in the range of one-half to one foot per
day. The directions of horizontal flow are primarily north and
south on the respective sides of the main groundwater divide, with
a slight easterly component throughout much of the SGPA. The
influence of the Peconic River extends westward just beyond
Brookhaven National Laboratory, where the main divide splits into
northern and southern branches. Recharge in the region between the
divides either discharges to the Peconic river as shallow flow, or
travels downward and eastward within the Magothy. The northern
branch of the divide approximately bisects the North Fork out to
Mattituck inlet. The southern divide generally follows the
topographic high formed by the Ronkonkoma moraine.
Water Suxinly Six community water suppliers provide public
water to roughly three fourths of the residential, business,
industrial and institutional users in the area. The largest
purveyor, the Suffolk County Water Authority, serves approximately
75 percent of those on public water. Two purveyors, the Riverhead
166
167
Water District and the Shorewood Water Company, each serve about
ten percent and three -- the Hampton Bays Water District, the
Calverton Hills Association and the Riverside Water District --
serve the remaining five percent.
There are 17 active well fields located within the boundaries
of the SGPA, and another 17 fields located within a mile
downgradient. Their combined 1987 average daily pumpage of over
20 mgd represents approximately 20% of installed capacity at these
fields. The pumpage by town is as follows: Brookhaven, 15 mgd;
Southampton, 3.6 mgd; and Riverhead, 1.4 mgd. These figures
represent the following (maximum) percentages of total pumpage
within each town, based on 1980 estimates: Brookhaven, 25%;
Southampton, 45%; and Riverhead, 10%. Over 80% of the 20 mgd is
withdrawn from the glacial aquifer. Additional water is pumped by
individual facilities such as Brookhaven National: Laboratory (6.3
mgd) and Grumman (0.2 mgd).
Table 27 provides a list of community water supply wellfields
by location, capacity and pumpage.
167
Fields Downgradient of SGPA
Table 27
1987 Pumpage
SCWA Jayne Boulevard
6.34
mgd
0.88
COMMUNITY WATER SUPPLY
WELL FIELDS
4.03
mgd
0.63
Well
Fields Within the SGPA
Capacity
1987 Pumpacge
SCWA
Wheat Path
2.80
mgd
0.42
mgd
SCWA
Bicycle Path
4.90
mgd
0.69
mgd
SCWA
Chestnut Street
4.03
mgd
0.56
mgd
SCWA
Strathmore Court
6.05
mgd
1.05
mgd
SCWA
Dare Road
5.90
mgd
1.85
mgd
SCWA
Flint Lane
4.03
mgd
2.06
mgd
SCWA
Meehan Lane
2.88
mgd
0.27
mgd
SCWA
Bailey Road
4.46
mgd
0.84
mgd
Shorewood WC Bridgewater Dr.
2®95
mgd
0.73-mgd
SCWA Patchogue-Yaphank Road
SCWA
William Floyd Parkway
4.46
mgd
0.15
mgd
SCWA
Country Club Drive
2.74
mgd
0.18
mgd
SCWA
Moriches -Riverhead Rd.
2.44
mgd
0.02
mgd
SCWA
Old Country Road
1.62
mgd
0..46
mgd
SCWA
Spinney Road
2.88
mgd
0.83
mgd
Hampton Bays WD Bellows Rd.
2.16
mgd'
0.45
mgd
Riverhead WD Middle Road
1.73
mgd
0.88
mgd
Riverhead WD Sound Avenue
2.16 mgd
0.00 mgd
58.2
mgd
11.4
mgd
Fields Downgradient of SGPA
Capacity
1987 Pumpage
SCWA Jayne Boulevard
6.34
mgd
0.88
mgd
SCWA Crystal Brook Hollow
4.03
mgd
0.63
mgd
SCWA Mt. Sinai -Coram Road
1.87
mgd
0.36
mgd
SCWA North Country Road
5.04
mgd
1.02
mgd
SCWA Water Road
4.18
mgd
0.23
mgd
Shorewood Water Company
Briarcliff Road
1.62
mgd
0.51
mgd
Shorewood Water Company
Knight Street
1.44
mgd
0.27:mgd
SCWA Prince Street (Sini)
1.58
mgd
0.22
mgd
SCWA Fairmont Avenue
4.03
mgd
0.75
mgd
SCWA Beechnut Avenue
1.01
mgd
0.00
mgd
SCWA Race Avenue
2.88
mgd
0.19
mgd
SCWA Patchogue-Yaphank Road
4.03
mgd
0.70
mgd
SCWA Railroad Avenue
2.88
mgd
0.35
mgd
SCWA Meetinghouse Road
4.18
mgd
0.65
mgd
Hampton Bays WD Ponquogue Ave.
4.75
mgd
1.16
mgd
Riverhead WD Osborne Ave.
3.17
mgd
0.74
:mgd
Riverhead WD Pulaski Street
3.96 mgd
0.55 mgd
57.0
mgd
9.21-mgd
168
Numerous future well field sites have been purchased by the
SCWA at locations within and just downgradient of the boundaries
of the SGPA. Fourteen of these sites are in the Town of
Brookhaven: 11 within the SGPA -- Harrison Avenue, Radio Avenue,
Helme Avenue, Shady Lane, Paul's Path, Patchogue -Port Jefferson
Road, Bartlett Road, Longwood Road, Sally Lane, Middle Country
Road, Long Pond Road; and three downgradient -- New York Avenue,
Jamaica Avenue, Seatuck Avenue. Two future SCWA well field sites
are located in the Town of Southampton within the SGPA: Evergreen
Avenue and Quogue-Riverhead Road. The Riverhead Water District has
identified nine possible future well field sites, some of which
have been purchased: Doctors Path (Plant 10, Mill Road (Plant 11-
1), Edwards Avenue (Plant 12), River Road (Plant 14), Edwards
Avenue (Plant 14A), Manor Road (Plant 15), Middle Country 'Road
(Plant 15A), Reeves Avenue (Plant 16), and Schultz Road (Plant 16).
Water Quality - Groundwater quality within the Central Suffolk
SGPA is generally excellent; however, human activities have
impacted the shallower portions of the aquifer system in some
regions, including the more densely developed, unsewered areas in
the westernmost portion of the SGPA, and agricultural areas of Mt.
Sinai and Riverhead. Large facilities like Brookhaven National
Laboratory and Suffolk County Airport have also impacted shallow
groundwater quality (See Problems and Concerns). The deeper
portions of the aquifer system appear to be unaffected thus far,
although some deep public supply wells have been degraded due to
drawdown of surface contamination.
169
Glacial supply wells located in developed areas near the
groundwater divide, where natural and induced vertical flow is
greatest, have shown some of the most significant impacts. For
example, the two 150' glacial wells at the SCWA Meehan Lane
wellfield in Coram have consistently had nitrate concentrations of
677 ppm. Trichloroethane (TCA) contamination, which is associated
with past cesspool cleaner use, was 4-6 ppb during the early 1980s,
but has been steadily decreasing, and the wells are still in
service.
The shallowest of the glacial wells at SCWA Dare Road in
Selden provides another example of glacial aquifer contamination
related to development near the divide. This well is over 400'
deep, but has experienced a steady increase in nitrate
concentrations up to 4-5 ppm, and has consistently had traces of
TCA and other organics, prompting the SCWA to its voluntarily
remove it from service in March 1989. The next deepest well at
Dare Road (457' glacial) has a 2-3 ppm nitrate and no organics,
while the deepest well (484' glacial) is close to pristine,
indicating that ambient quality in the deeper portions of the
aquifer are unimpacted, but also that the well field is
accelerating the local downward movement of contamination. Not all
shallow public supply wells in the westernmost portions of the SGPA
have. been seriously impacted, however. The two 220'-230' glacial
wells at SCWA Flint Lane (Coram), located in a less densely
developed area, have nitrate concentrations less than 3 ppm, with
only occasional traces of organics (1 ppb or,less).
170
IN.
IN
The impacts of development on shallow groundwater in the
western portion of the SGPA are also reflected by the water quality
of private wells in those few areas not served by public water.
For example, the area of Coram -Middle Island north of Route 25 has
numerous wells that have been contaminated by organic solvents;
this contamination has led to one Federal Superfund water main
extension project (Oak Lane), and two extension projects --
Swezeytown Road and White Oak Street -- under the Suffolk County
matching fund program. Another example is the area of Ridge south
of Route 25, where a small number of wells have been impacted by
the soluble components of gasoline.
The quality of the water furnished by public supply wells
north of the divide reflects not so much background aquifer
conditions but rather the susceptibility of such wells to surface
contamination due to self-induced drawdown in the absence of a
substantial intervening clay unit: Some shallow Magothy wells have
been impacted, including the two 340' Magothy wells at SCWA Wheat
Path in Mt. Sinai, three miles north of the divide, which have had
nitrates in the 3-5 ppm range and 1-2 ppb of TCA. Another example
is the shallowest of the four Magothy wells at SCWA Jayne Boulevard
in Terryville, also three miles north of the divide and just
outside the SGPA; which, although 4501 deep, has experienced a
steady increase in nitrates to 6 ppm, and has had 2-3 ppb of TCA
since 1984. These impacts have occurred even though these fields
contain no shallower glacial wells that might accelerate the
downward movement of contamination. Water from the deep (6601)
171
u
J
glacial wells at SCWA Chestnut Street, however, remains pristine,
as'does that from the 350' glacial well and 560' Magothy wells at
fl '
SCWA Bicycle Path; only the 160' glacial well at Bicycle Path has
shown any signs of impact, with nitrates slowly increasing to the
2-3 ppm range.
Agricultural activities have impacted some public supply wells
in Mt. Sinai, Riverhead, and Southampton. The 208' glacial well
at SCWA Strathmore Court (Mt. Sinai), has had up to 5 ppb of the
nematocide dichloropropane off and on since 1981; the 6001 glacial
well at SCWA Mt. Sinai -Coram Road just outside the SGPA had traces
of aldicarb in the early 1980s, and was voluntarily taken out of
service in May 1989 due to elevated nitrates. The Riverhead Water
District's 254' glacial well at Middle Road has had only moderate
elevations in nitrate (3-4 ppm), but has consistently had 1-2,ppb
of aldicarb breakdown products. In the Southampton portion of the
SGPA, where farming activities are limited, at least one well has
been impacted -- the 118' glacial well at SCWA Spinney Road in
Oakville, located immediately downgradient of a farming area.
Nitrate concentrations have steadily increased to 8 ppm, and
aldicarb concentrations have been high enough to prompt the
voluntary installation of Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filters.
Aldicarb has also been a problem in a number of private wells
within the SGPA, including areas along Mt. Sinai -Coram Road, and
throughout farming areas of Riverhead. Agricultural contamination
in these regions is also evident in shallow SCDHS test wells, which
generally show nitrate concentrations approaching or exceeding the
172
A
10 ppm drinking water standard and sometimes reaching as high as
20 ppm. Aldicarb contamination is also evident, although
concentrations appear to be decreasing as aldicarb moves through
the aquifer system and undergoes mechanical dispersion (dilution).
There are no indications, however, that agricultural contamination
has impacted the deeper portions of the glacial aquifer (i.e.,
those portions below clay units), or any portions of the Magothy
aquifer.
The best water quality is found in relatively. undeveloped,
non ®agricultural regions of the SGPA, including western Brookhaven,
south of Route 25; eastern Brookhaven, western Riverhead, and most
of the Southampton portion of the SGPA. The glacial wells at SCWA
Fairmont Avenue in Medford and SCWA Patchogue®Yaphank Road in
Yaphank, both just downgradient of the SGPA, have remained below
3 ppm nitrate and have been free of organics. Farther east, all
the glacial and shallow Magothy wells at SCWA William Floyd Parkway
in Upton and SCWA Bailey Road on the divide in Middle Island have
water quality close to pristine. Similar pristine water quality
is found in the two deep (240'®3001) glacial wells at SCWA
Moriches -Riverhead Road near the South Fork divide on the
Brookhaven/Southampton border, while the three shallow (70'®1601)
glacial wells at SCWA Old Country Road in Westhampton have shown
only the slightest elevations of nitrate.
Not all public supply wells in the central and eastern
portions of the SGPA are pristine, however, as evidenced by the
Shorewood Water Company's Bridgewater Drive well field, where one
173
of the shallow (1401) glacial wells has had intermittent problems
with nitrates and chlorides. As described above, the shallow
glacial wells at SCWA Spinney Road have been impacted by
agricultural chemicals. In addition, the two 160' glacial wells
at SCWA Country Club Road in Manorville have nitrates in the 3-4
ppm range and elevated sulfates, most probably related to existing
golf course and past farming activities.
Land Use - Although there is considerable variation in the
type and intensity of land use in different parts of the SGPA, land
uses generally tend to be low density and open in character. As
2�
indicated in Table more than 34.0 percent of the Central
Suffolk acreage is classified as vacant; 20.6 percent as open
space, and 15.5 percent as agriculture.
With the exception of the Selden -Terryville sector, the SGPA
contains large tracts of public and quasi public land that are
classified within the recreation/open space category. These
include Suffolk County parklands -- Peconic River, Bald Hill,
Cranberry Bog, Sears Bellows, Maple Swamp and part of Hubbard; S.C.
Nature Preserve Property; Brookhaven State Park; the David A.
Sarnoff Pine Barrens Preserve, managed by NYSDEC; Camp Wauwepex;
and the Quogue Wildlife Refuge. In addition to the above list,
large portions of the BNL, the Grumman Calverton complex, S.C.
Airport and National Veterans Cemetery serve as open space. There
are seven golf courses -- Middle Island, Spring Lake, Pine Hills,
Rock Hill, Swan Lake, Hampton Hills, L.I. Country Club, and several
r,od and gun clubs and shooting ranges.
174
Table 28 Existing Land Use (acres) in the
Central Suffolk SGPA, 1989.
Total 124,661
* Column may not total 100.0 due to rounding.
Source: Long Island Regional Planning Board.
175
Existing
Percent of
Land Use Category
Land Use
Total*
Residential
17,974
14.4
Vacant
42,337
34.0
Underwater Land
932
0.8
Commercial
1,564
1.3
Industrial
1,667
1.3
Institutional
7,075
5.7
Utilities
8,215
6.6
Open Space
25,635
20.6
Agricultural
19,262
15.5
Total 124,661
* Column may not total 100.0 due to rounding.
Source: Long Island Regional Planning Board.
175
Agricultural uses in Riverhead include farms that grow field
crops or sod, vineyards, greenhouse/ nursery stock operations, horse
farms and orchards. There is some agricultural land use in
Eastport, South Manor, the area east of Quogue/Riverhead Road, and
in the Mount Sinai area.
The most extensive single family residential development found
in the SGPA is located in Selden -Terryville,. Coram, the Lake
Panamoka area, Manorville, Flanders and the area surrounding the
Riverhead CBD. Multi -family housing is found in Selden -Terryville;
in Manorville, primarily in conjunction with golf course
facilities; and in Riverhead and Riverside in the form of trailer
parks.
The Central Suffolk areas undergoing the most intensive
residential development are Selden -Terryville, Ridge and
Manorville.
Commercial land use is found primarily in the Riverhead area
along Route 58 and Route 25, and in Selden -Terryville along Route
25A, Route 347, Route 112 and Route 25. Some strip commercial
development is beginning to occur on C.R. 111 just south of the
L.I.E.
The areas with the greatest concentration of industrial uses
include Riverhead, between Route 58 and Route 25 west of Pulaski
Road; Suffolk County Airport and new development along Old
Riverhead Road; Speonk/Riverhead Road, between Old Country Road
and Sunrise Highway Calverton (Grumman); the industrial park east
of William Floyd Parkway between the L.I.E. and LIRR; and Route
176
N
e
0;.
112. There are two small pockets of industrially used land in Port
Jefferson Station and in Coram in the northwestern section of the
SGPA. There are approximately a half a dozen sandmining operations
and several cement and asphalt plants located in the SGPA. The
Riverhead Town landfill and the Brookhaven Town Brush Disposal
Facility, along with several town DPW storage yards, are also
located in the SGPA. The more than 5000 acre Brookhaven National
Laboratory, located in the western section adjacent to the William
Floyd Parkway, constitutes the largest institutional land use.
In order to facilitate comparison of the differences in the
total acreage and distribution of land uses, Tables 28, 29, 30 and
31 present a breakdown of acreage by land use category for the SGPA
as a whole and for each of the three sectors.
177
q
Table 29Existing Land Use (acres) in the
West Portion of the Central Suffolk SGPA, 1989.
Existing Percent of
Land Use Category Land Use Total*
Residential
12,234
25.3
Vacant
120732
26®4
Underwater Land
199
0.4
Commercial
1,084
2®2
Industrial
788
1.6
Institutional
6,220
12®9
Utilities
1,373
2.8
Open Space
10,484
21.7
Agricultural
3,189
6®6
48,303
Column may not total 100.0 due to rounding.
Source: Long island Regional Planning Board.
178
Table 30 Existing Land Use (acres) in the
Southeast Portion of the Central Suffolk SGPA, 1989.
Existing Percent of
Land Use Category Land Use Total*
Residential
30884
7.6
Vacant
26,277
51.4
Underwater Land
630
1.2
Commercial
298
0.6
Industrial
592
1.2
Institutional
660
1.3
Utilities
3,377
6.6
®pen Space
12,742
24.9
Agricultural
2,630
5.1
* Column may not total 100.0 due to rounding.
Source: Long Island Regional Planning Board .
179
Table 31 Existing Land Use (acres) in the
Northeast Portion of the Central Suffolk SGPA, 1989.
t
180
Existing
Percent of
Land Use Category
Land Use
Total*
Residential
1,856
7.3
Vacant
3,328
13.2
Underwater Land
103
0.4
Commercial
182
0..7
industrial
287
1.1
Institutional
195
0.8
Utilities
3,465
13.7
Open Space
2,409
9.5
Agricultural
13,443
53.2
Total
25,268
* Column may not total
100.0 due to rounding.
Source: Long Island
Regional Planning
Board.
t
180
Zoning - Most of Central Suffolk 'is zoned for low density
residential use at lot sizes ranging from one acre to five acres
per dwelling unit. Most of the Town of Brookhaven is zoned one
acre, with two and five acres required on some of the
environmentally sensitive land. The Town of Southampton is
generally zoned for development at one and one-half, three or five
acres per unit. Riverhead has four -acre zoning near Calverton and
one acre for much of the farmland. Southold zoning is at two
acres.
There are scattered industrial and commercially zoned areas
in the west central portion of Brookhaven. In Riverhead, the
commercial and industrial zoning extends from the Calverton Airport
to the edge of the Riverhead hamlet. Southold has a commercial
area at the edge of the SGPA.
In Southampton there is, commercially zoned land near the
County Center in -Riverside- in part of Flanders and in Hampton
Bays. There is industrial zoning near Suffolk County Airport in
Westhampton.
Problems and Concerns - The potential for groundwater contamination
that is inevitably associated with human presence and land use
activities, however well intentioned, emphasizes the need for
action to preserve the open -space and watershed protection value
of already dedicated conservation and recreation lands and to limit
or mitigate the adverse impacts of essential development. The
quality of groundwater, particularly shallow groundwater, within
the SGPA has been impacted by various point and non -point sources
181
of contamination.
Sewage treatment plants (STPs) are a major category of point.
sources within the SGPA. There are 28 existing and 10 proposed
STPs. Not all existing plants have tertiary treatment (nitrogen
removal), but operators of all those with flows over 30,000 gpd are
now required to upgrade to include denitrification. Table 32
indicates the name, location and type of treatment provided for
each Central Suffolk STP.
182 �"
Table 32
'Central Suffolk
SGPA:Sewage Treatment Plants
Facility Name
Community
Tertiary Treatment
Woodhaven Nursing Home
Port Jeff Sta.
none; need for under study
Woodcrest Estates
Port Jeff Sta.
included in plant design
Sagamore Hills Condos
Port Jeff Sta.
operating
Selden Sanitary(SCSD#11)
Centereach
off-line since c.1982;
upgrading
Village in the Woods
Selden
to be added in 1991
Allstate Headquarters
Farmingville
operating
Blue Ridge Condominiums
Medford
operating
North Isle Apartments
Coram
operating
Brookwood Comm. Apts.
Coram
operating
Bretton Woods Condos
Coram
operating
LaBonne Vie Apts.
Coram
none; need for under study
Homestead Village Apts.
Coram
to be added in 1991
„
Tallmadge Woods
Mt. Sinai
included in plant design
Forest Green Estates
Mt. Sinai
included in plant design
Rocky point Coop Apts.
Rocky Point
none; need for under study
Rocky Point Meadows
Rocky Point
included in plant design
Oak Hollow Nursing Home
Middle Island
operating
Bal Moral Townhouses
Middle Island
operating
Birchwood @ Spring Lake
Middle Island
included in plant design
Middle Island Coop Apts.
Middle Island
none; need for under study
Coventry Manor
Middle Island
operating
Townhouses -
Artist Lake Apts.
Middle Island
operating
Lake Pointe Condominiums
Middle Island
operating
Leisure Village
Ridge
operating
Ridge Haven Estates
Ridge
operating
Strathmore Ridge(SCSD#8)
Ridge
none; connecting to
Parr V. 1990
Colonial Woods(Parr V.)
Yaphank
operating
Brookhaven R&D Plaza -
Yaphank
included in plant design
Anton Meadows
W. Yaphank
included in plant design
Brookhaven Nat. Lab.
Upton
none; considered surface
discharge
Grumman Aerospace
Calverton
none; considered surface
discharge
Heatherwood @ Calverton
Calverton
none; need for under study
Pine Hills Apts.
Manorville
operating
Greenwood Village
Manorville
operating
Manor Run
Manorville
included in plant design
Suffolk Co. Comm.College
Speonk
operating
Osborne Ave. Condos
Riverhead
included in plant design
Chesterfield Estates
Riverhead
included in plant design
183
i!
The ability of existing tertiary plants to produce effluent
meeting the 10 ppm drinking water standard for nitrate has been
inconsistent at best, due primarily to inconsistent operation and
maintenance. Shallow groundwater quality downgradient of these
plants often reflects their suboptimal performance, and the
potential for impacting water supplies, both public -and private,
clearly exists. Known or suspected cases where an inadequate or
poorly operated STP has impacted water supplies include that of the
Homestead, Village STP (Coram), which has caused amonia-nitrogen
contamination of a few private wells located immediately
downgradient. The Brookhaven Laboratory's STP discharges to the
headwaters of the Peconic River, but during dry periods the entire
flow recharges to groundwater before reaching the BNL 's eastern
boundary. Limits on effluent concentrations of tritium,, a
radioactive form of hydrogen, were voluntarily lowered by the BNL
after contamination below the drinking water standard was
discovered in about one-half dozen private wells downstream.
Landfills and other potential hazardous waste disposal sites
are, another major category of point sources within the SGPA. Among
the municipal landfills are three active and five former sites.
All except the Old;, Westhampton landfill are included on the
NYSDEC's April 1989 State Superfund list of possible inactive
hazardous waste disposal sites (IHWDSs). The SCDHS has identified
a leachate (inorganics). plume downgradient of the Riverhead
landfill, and studies conducted for the Town of Brookhaven -have
confirmed groundwater contamination, including ammonia and organic
184
i'
IN
u
solvents that may be related to the scavenger waste lagoons on the
site at the Manorville landfill. All the landfills on the list
will be the subject of Phase II State
•
Superfund studies, including
groundwater monitoring,
in the near future. Table 33 indicates the
name, general location and status of landfills and hazardous waste
sites.
Table 33
Central Suffolk
SGPA;
Landfills & Hazardous
Waste Sites
Municipal Facility Name
Community
Comment
Pine Road Ecology Site
Coram
past open burning;
suspected IHWDS
Riverhead Landfill
Riverhead
active; suspected IHWDS
Westhampton Landfill
Westhampton
active; suspected IHWDS
Manorville Landfill
Manorville
old scavenger lagoons;
confirmed
Eastport Landfill
Eastport
closed; suspected IHWDS
Old Westhampton Landfill Westhampton
closed; not on IHWDS list
Hampton.Bays Landfill
Hampton Bays
closed; suspected IHWDS
Quogue Landfill
Quogue
closed; suspected IHWDS
Private Facility Name
Community
Comment
Brookhaven Aggregates
Miller Place debris disposal;
confirmed IHWDS
RCA Rocky Point
Rocky Point
PCB contaminated soil
removal
Brookhaven Lab
Upton
organics plume being
remediated
RCA Riverhead
Flanders
PCB contaminated soil
removal.
Suffolk County Airport
Westhampton
open dump; suspected
IHWDS
Suffolk County Airport
Westhampton
kennel site; PCB soil
removed
Oakville Drum Site
Oakville
asphaltic material in
drums
185
Also on New York Statelslist of inactive hazardous waste
disposal sites are seven other facilities, including landfills at
private or quasi -public facilities. Disposal of hazardous materials
has been confirmed at all these sites but solvent contamination has
been detected only at Brookhaven Aggregates and three locations at
the BNL. The laboratory sites consist of two landfills -- one
active and one closed -- and a hazardous waste management facility
(HWMF) , which is used as a transfer station. The two landfills have
been sources of low levels of tritium ,and organic solvents, while
accidental spills at the HWMF have produced a significant solvent
plume, which is being remediated using recovery wells and spray
irrigation.
Spills and leaks of petroleum products constitute another
source of contamination within the SGPA. Many of the incidents
have occurred at local service stations, including five along
Middle County Road (Route 25) from Middle Island to Ridge.
Brookhaven Lab has reported at least 8 incidents, although none
appears to have resulted in free product reaching the water table,
and only one (a 20-25 thousand gallon leakage of No. 6 fuel oil in
1977 at the Central Steam Facility) was found to have contaminated
groundwater with traces of benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX).
Four spill sites are being monitored at Grumman's Calverton
facility -- at the Fire Training Area, Fuel Depot, Fuel Calibration
Area, and Steam Plant. Suffolk County Airport is the site of two
recovery operations -- one at the main tank farm at the southern
end of the facility, and one near the buildings on the west side
W.W.
of the facility (informally known as the Baumann Bus site). The
Fire Training Area located off the airport runway is being
investigated for possible petroleum and solvent contamination.
Tank failures at the former Bomarc site (now owned by Suffolk
i'
County) did not result in groundwater contamination.
Table 34 provides a list of petroleum spills and leaks known to
have affected Central Suffolk groundwater.
Table 34
Central Suffolk SGPA;
Petroleum Spills and Leaks Impacting Groundwater
Facility Name
Community Comment
Getty -Power Test Middle Is.
Pilot Service Sta Middle Is.
Texaco Middle Is.
Power Test Serv. Sta. Ridge
Mobil Ridge
Brookhaven Lab. Upton
Grumman Calverton
Tuthill Petroleum Calverton
Suffolk County Airport Westhampton
Suffolk County Airport Westhampton
Big 1°E" Farm Riverhead
Rt.25; gasoline;recovery
Rt.25; gasoline;recovery
Rt.25; gasoline;monitoring
Rt.25; gasoline;recovery
Rt.25; gasoline;recovery
fuel oil BTX plume;
monitoring
4 sites being monitored
Edwards Ave; fuel oil;
monitoring
Fire Training Area;
monitoring
Tank Farm & Baumann_;
fuel recovery
Sound Ave; gasoline;
recovery
Nonpoint sources are both ubiquitous and significant. They
include unsewered medium -density residential and commercial
developments which release sewage nitrogen through cesspools.
These land uses are also a source of organic chemicals, although
the magnitude of the residential contribution was significantly
reduced with the banning of cesspool cleaners containing solvents
in 1980.
i,
I
187,
Farming activities also fall within the non -point source
category; groundwater impacts come from plant nutrients like
nitrate, and pesticides like aldicarb; dichloropropane, and
dacthal. Agriculture may also be the source ofother, as yet
undetected, contaminants in groundwater.
Accidental spills or discharges of hazardous substances like
organic solvents are a problem of unknown proportions within the
SGPA. Any commercial or industrial facility utilizing such
materials is a potential source, even if process water is treated
or held in storage for removal, since traces of solvent can be
discharged to sanitary pools during normal cleanup procedures, and
spills can be washed into floor drains that discharge to dry wells,
a practice that is now prohibited. At the Brookhaven National
Laboratory, four of the shallow water supply wells in proximity to
the research buildings have been contaminated with solvents.
Grumman Calverton is another potential problem area, as indicated
by the intermittent organic contamination in a SCDHS monitoring
well (S-51591) located downgradient of the facility on Swan Pond
Road. At the Suffolk County Airport, there is a known source of
groundwater contamination on the south side of the facility that
resulted from the illegal discharge of a paint stripping solvent
to floor drains.
The Cornell University analysis of air photos from 1947, 1962,
and 1972 identified almost 200 potential hazardous dump sites
within the boundaries of the SGPA. Inventoried sites range from
mined areas and locations with disturbed vegetation, to open dumps
MR]
with barrels and drums. Dumping activities were identified at 67
sites, which included informal landfills, old sand mines, and farm
dumps. Ten of, these sites, however, also had evidence of the
storage/disposal of barrels and/or drums -- in Terryville, east of
Port Jefferson -Patchogue Road, in Coram, -north of Route 25; at BNL
(2 sites); at Grumman Calverton (2 sites), south of Route 25
(Calverton); in Manorville, south of Nugent Drive; in Centerville,
south of Reeves Avenue; and in East Quogue, north of Old Country
Road.
The existence of old filed map subdivisions containing
substandard but nonetheless legal building lots and the constant
pressure to rezone residential properties to allow the construction
of higher density, presumably more affordable housing, pose the
threat of increased nonpoint pollution. Single lot development of
old filed maps adds to the number of persons residing in unsewered
areas.
Similarly, the continued availability of vacant commercial and
industrial land on the periphery of existing development increases
the probability that new sources of contamination might be
introduced and the groundwater adversely impacted. Applications
for continued commercial development both on Routes 25A and 112 are
submitted on a regular basis.
Opportunities
In view of the size of the SGPA and differences in land use
and development .pressure, a separate discussion of opportunities
is presented for the west, the southeast and the northeast portions
189
of the Central Suffolk Area.
Western Sector
There is a great need to upgrade and expand sewage treatment,
especially in the northwestern portion of the'area. As indicated
in the County sponsored North Central Brookhaven Waste Management
Study, both expansion and consolidation are technically feasible.
If sewering could be extended to serve existing higher density and
new developments and effluent quality could be assured, groundwater
quality would be improved. _
There are a few opportunities for replatting old filed map
subdivisions to reduce potential density and preserve some of the
land through clustering. Suffolk County owns portions of an old
filed map subdivision located between three apartment complexes in
Coram. Since this site is accessible to transportation •and
C.
commercial activities, replatting and clustering to create
affordable housing in a development that would be connected to a
sewer system would protect the underground water supply, while
allowing some needed housing. Nearby there are other old filed
maps that should be replatted either to protect an existing well
site or to create the opportunity for some future water protection
area. Replatting and clustering could also add to the parcel that
the County has set aside for a preserve, provide additional open
space, some connections between existing open space parcels, or the
continuation of an open space corridor such as that along County
Route 83.
. r
190
Alm
The most significant open space in the relatively urbanized
northwestern portion of the western sector has been protected
8
through cluster developments that have been built in different
parts of the area. The Town of Brookhaven has acquired a few other
tracts for local recreation purposes and the Nature Conservancy has
a preserve in Coram. A current -cluster proposal encompasses most
of the remaining farmland in this part of the SGPA. The proposal
provides some open space for recreation and some land, on Route
25A, that will remain in an agricultural preserve. A combination
of clustering or transfer of development rights on the farmland
that adjoins Route 25A in Miller Place could set aside almost 100
acres for future agricultural use. Orchards or sod farms are -the
current uses, and with best management practices, they could help
to protect the well site that is immediately to the north of the
agricultural land.
In the western sector as a whole, there are more than 10,000
acres of open space consisting of pine'barrens, river corridors,
golf courses and cemeteries. The State of New York is the largest
land holder with over 5,000 acres in the Rocky Point preserve.
County and town holdings, two large golf courses, a camp, plus
homeowner association lands make up the balance.
A series of acquisitions, extending from Route 25A on the
north to the Long Island Expressway on the south, could protect the
resources of the area. The largest proposed acquisition is the
Warbler Woods area in Yaphank. This property is an extensive
forest that extends from the Carmans River almost to the headwaters
191
of the Peconic River. The core of the area is an old filed map in
which more than 3/4 of the parcels are currently owned by the
County of Suffolk. Other proposed large acquisitions include the
Coram Woods wetlands, which are located between County and town
holdings in Coram, and a large tract of land adjacent to Granny
Road. Another is the former Camp Olympia, which is located at the
southern edge of the deep recharge zone, provides access to the
Carmans River and could add a significant parcel to the public
lands along the river corridor. Acquisition of another parcel
could protect the headwaters of the Peconic River just west of the
Brookhaven National Laboratories on William Floyd Parkway. Smaller
acquisitions are proposed to link various state and county
holdings. These include the outparcels adjacent to the RCA
property in Rocky Point and at Ridge, plus the parcels that connect
the town holdings to the state holdings near Whiskey Road in Miller
Place. There is also a key parcel between the two segments of the
Cathedral Pines County Park in Middle Island.;
The acquisition of some of these properties would not only
aid in protecting the watershed, but would form -the basis for a
series of greenbelts throughout the SGPA. When combined with a
coordinated clustering of new development, it would be possible to
create a series of north -south and east -west interconnected public
and private properties that could be used as walkways, hiking
trails or for similar types of linear park uses. There are Town
holdings as far west as County Route 83 ,,that could, with a few key
acquisitions and coordinated clusters, be continued across Route
192
RIII'
t-4
�a
0
9,
I
I
112 and north to the Coram business! district, east into Gordon
Heights or south into Medford. The Warbler Woods acquisition would
I
allow such a greenbelt to extend even farther in an easterly
direction to William Floyd Parkway. ; There are also north -south
4
connections extending from the Long IIsland Expressway almost to
Middle Country Road in the Yaphank-Ridge area or from the
Expressway all the way through the Newl York State preserve in Rocky
I
Point, if County Route 8 is ever carried forward.
The Brookhaven ,area east of William Floyd Parkway contains
large amounts of land that area already in public ownership. The
most significant are the Brookhaven National Laboratory, the State
and Town parks that are north of Route;25, the County properties,
along the Peconic River and in Manorville and the Federal clear
zone area that is also in Manorville.iWith the acquisition of land
around the headwaters of the Peconic jiver and -in the area east of
Route 111 in Manorville public lands could form a continuous
1
corridor of open space extending from central Brookhaven through
the edge of Riverhead and into the Town of Southampton.
_ I
Recommendations
Suffolk County should continue its efforts to upgrade,
consolidate and expand sewage collection and treatment within the
northwestern portion of this sector.
The County, alone or in conjunction with New York State and
the Town of Brookhaven, should acquire and preserve the watershed
lands described under "Opportunities
. The proposed acquisitions
O
include but are not limited to the Warbler Woods tract in Yaphank,
'the Coram wetlands, Camp Olympia, a parcel at the headwaters of the
Peconic River and various smaller properties adjacent to or linking
existing public lands.
The Town of Brookhaven should concentrate commercial and
industrial activities to the maximum extent permitted by existing
land uses. The Town should consider further rezonings as necessary
to limit the expansion of strip commercial and other non-
residential development beyond the periphery of already committed
areas. The Town has already rezoned a portion of the land abutting
Route 25; some of the commercial properties along Routes 25A and
112. It has already rezoned a major commercial site on Canal Road, _
which could be used for some type of multi -family units that would
be tied into the sewer systems that exist in the general area.
Brookhaven should utilize its zoning powers to contain the two
pockets of industrial activity in Port Jefferson Station and Coram
and to change the classification of the large; land locked parcel
northwest of the clear zone of Brookhaven Airport. Rezoning of the
property for residential use would permit clustered development of
this pine barrens tract, with housing next to existing homes and
I
open space between the housing and the clear zone.
The Brookhaven National Laboratory should continue its ongoing
efforts to remediate the groundwater contamination caused by some
past waste disposal practices and accidental spills.
1
194
See Tables 35 and 36 for Plan Land Use -acreage by land use
category and a comparison of Existing and Proposed Land Use. See
Map 22 for Plan Land Use.
An
195
Table35 Plan Land
Use (acres) in
the
West Portion of the
Central Suffolk
SGPA.
SGPA Plan Land
Percent of
Land Use Category
Use "
Total**
Residential
18,841
39.0
Vacant
0
0.0
Underwater Land
207
0.4
Commercial
1,308
2.7
Industrial
633
1.3
Institutional
6,206
12.8
Utilities
1,124
2.3
Open Space
18,117
37.5
Agricultural
1,104
2.3
Others*
761
1.6
Total
48,301
* "Others" includes plan options, such as planned unit
development, landfill reclamation, relocation, etc., that
could not be assigned to a specific land use category.
** column may not total 100.0 due to rounding.
Source: Long Island Regional Planning Board.
196
L
"Others" includes plan options, such as planned unit development, landfill reclamation,
relocation, etc., that could not be assigned to a specific land use category.
Table 36
Existing and Plan
Land Use (acres) in the
West Portion of the
Central Suffolk SGPA
Change in Land Use
1989 Existing Land
SGPA
Land Use Category
Use ��
Plan Land -Use
(+ = gain® - loss)
Residential
12,234
18,841
+6,607
Vacant
12,732
0
-12,732
Underwater Land
199
207
+8
Commercial
1,084
1,308
+224
industrial
788
633
-155
Institutional
6,220
6,206
-14
v Utilities
1®373
1,124
-249
®pen Space
10,484
18,117
+7,633
Agricultural
3,189
1,104
-2,085
Others*
--
761
+761
Total
48,303
48,301
"Others" includes plan options, such as planned unit development, landfill reclamation,
relocation, etc., that could not be assigned to a specific land use category.
The Southeast Sector (Southampton Portion)
Opportunities - The Southeastern part of the Central Suffolk SGPA
continues the, large expanse of the green space in central
Brookhaven and extends all the way to Hampton Bays. Eventually
three fourths of all the land located in the portion of this sector
between Route 24 on the north and Sunrise Highway on the south will
be in some type of public ownership. Extensive County holdings
around the County center; at Bald Hill, near the Community College;
at Maple Swamp; and at Hubbard and Sears -Bellows County Parks
account for the largest share of the open ,space. The State
Department of Environmental Conservation holdings account for
another 2,000 acres.
There are other County lands south of south of Sunrise Highway
at the airport and in the dwarf pines area. Most of the additional
open land in the Southeast sector is being preserved by means of
major watershed acquisitions; however, there are opportunities to
set aside some open space through clustering. Clustering of new
residential developments could secure dedicated acreage adjacent
t'o Peconic River properties, preserve an open pine barrens corridor
along the Long Island Expressway and could add to some of the
holdings in the eastern portion of Manorville. It could also
provide pockets of open space in the more developed portions of
Manorville and some key pieces along the old railroad right-of-way
that might one day serve as a hiking trail, connecting Old Country
Road in Eastport with the lands near the Peconic River. Clustering
could also preserve some wetlands adjacent to,the State property.
A
198
IN
In fact, the Town of Southampton has already utilized mandatory
clustering to create a continuous corridor from the County holdings
to Squires Pond in the eastern part of the SGPA.
owners of two of the golf courses in this sector have already
given up the development rights to the properties, which will
therefore remain as open space. Two other courses, Swan Pond and
Long Island Country Club are not permanently protected. The
former, which is located south of the Navy owned airport used by
Grumman, will be completely surrounded by public lands. There is
an opportunity to assure the continued availability of the two golf
courses for recreation and watershed protection through negotiation
and implementation of some type of non -development agreement or
through County or Town purchase and lease back.
There are a series of old filed map subdivisions near the
remaining farmland in Manorville and in the dwarf pines area in
Southampton. Acquisition, replatting and cluster development could
provide open space and residential development at an appropriate
density, thus avoiding piece -meal development on substandard lots.
Acquisition and retention as conservation land could preclude
intrusive development in the ecologically significant dwarf pines
area in Southampton.
Recommendations
Suffolk County should establish a Dwarf Pines Preserve to the
north and west of the Suffolk County Airport. Such a preserve,
incorporating existing County holdings in the area, would
199
constitute part of an open corridor along the south side of Sunrise
Highway and would complement the public lands 'on the north side.
The County and the Nature Conservancy should continue to
acquire the remaining old filed map lots in the dwarf pines area
and should add them to the Dwarf Pines Preserve.
The County or the Town of Brookhaven should acquire, and
replat the remaining old file map subdivisions or undeveloped
portions thereof for clustered housing and open space.
The Towns of Brookhaven and Southampton should attempt to
acquire the development rights or otherwise preserve the Swan -Pond
and the Long Island golf clubs. -
The County -or the Town of Southampton should acquire the
development rights to the small pockets of farmland at Lewis Road
and along Riverhead - East Moriches Road.
The Towns of Brookhaven and Southampton should facilitate the
conversion of obsolete or inappropriately located extractive and
industrial properties, such as the sand mine on South Street and
the industry along Nugent Drive, to residential use. In the case
of the Nugent Drive properties, homes could be connected to the STP
that serves a nearby,condominium, thus protecting the groundwater
and the nearby Peconic River.
The Town of Southampton should permit new industrial
development only in those areas where such ,uses already exist.
These areas include the Suffolk County Airport and the adjacent
properties that have not been rezoned for residential use, the area
r
around the County Bomarc facility and along Speonk Road and a
200
small, partially developed industrial area in the Village of
lk Quogue.
A comprehensive plan for the airport area has recommended
preservation of some key parcels and development or redevelopment
that would meet the water protection standards for the area. Since
extensive amounts of land in this area have been rezoned from
industrial to residential, there area only limited opportunities
for any industrial expansion in the future. A sand mining
operation northeast of the airport should be phased out. However,
there should be no housing on most of the property since it is
necessary to maintain a clear zone for the main runway. A transfer
of the development rights to parcels outside the airport clear zone
is suggested.
All three towns -- Brookhaven, Southampton and Riverhead --
should prevent the spread of commercial land uses beyond the limits
of the existing business areas in Manorville, at the Southeastern
edge of the Riverhead business district, in Hampton Bays and at a
few scattered locations near the airport. The only site where new
or expanded commercial uses may be justified is in the central
portion of Manorville where Route 111 intersects the Long Island
Expressway. Such development should be designed to serve local
needs and should be connected to the STP planned for a nearby
condominium.
See Tables 37 and 38 for Plan Land Use acreage and a
comparison of Existing and Plan Land Use. See Map 23 for Plan Land
Use.
201
q
Table 37 Plan
Land Use (acres) in the
Southeast Portion
of the Central Suffolk
SGPA.
SGPA Plan Land
Percent of
Land Use Category
Use
Total**
Residential
12,359
24.2
Vacant
0
0.0
Underwater Land
566
1.1
Commercial
211
0.4
Industrial
622
1.2
Institutional
639
1.3
Utilities
31412
6.7
Open Space
32,409
63.5
Agricultural
615
1.2
Others*
220
'0.4
Total
51,073
-includes
development, landfill reclamation, relocation, etc., that
could not be assigned to a specific land use category.
Column may ._ total 100.0 due to rounding.
Source: Long Island Regional Planning Board.
202
* "others" incluaes pgan a,p—wa.-,to a sgecriic YZAAi4d
relocation, etc., that could not be assigned
Table 38
(acres) in
Southeast Portion Of
central Suffolk SGPA
fisting and Plan
use
_
.
� e
1989 misting
SPA
change in Use
(+gain; - = loss)
Use
Plan Use
Land Use Category
®�
12,359
+8,475
Residential
3,884
-26,277
26'277
®
vacant
®44.
610
586
Underwater
-87
290
211
Coninercial
+30
592
622
Industrial
-21
Institutional
660
639 ,.,
+35;
0
3,377
3,412
w Utilities
�
_
+19,667
12,742
32,409
®pen Space
-2,015
Agricultural
2.630
615
--
220
+220
others*
Total
51,090
51,073
* "others" incluaes pgan a,p—wa.-,to a sgecriic YZAAi4d
relocation, etc., that could not be assigned
ft
Northeast Sector
Opportunities - The northeast sector of the -Central Suffolk SGPA
contains a continuous belt of farmland that extends from Wading
River on the west to the Riverhead -Southold town boundary on the
east, and from Route 25 on the south to Sound Avenue on the north.
With selective acquisitions that belt could be linked with the farm
areas in western Southold. Over 3000 acres of productive
agricultural land have been protected from development, primarily
through the Suffolk County Farmland Development Rights Program.
There is an opportunity to expand the Farm Preserve through
continued purchase of development rights, albeit on a reduced
scale, and through the transfer of development rights to sites
outside the SGPA. The use of mandatory clustering with the
reservation of at least half of the property for agriculture, or
open space could allow further expansion of the protected area at (�
minimal cost. Such clustering could preserve half of the farmland
while allowing development that meets Health Department regulations
to occur on the remainder.
It would be most desirable to transfer the development rights
of properties that are surrounded by protected farmland to areas
north of Sound Avenue;or around the hamlet of Riverhead.
Admittedly, farming activities have 'been a source of
groundwater contamination, however,- there is an opportunity to
employ modern best management practices that reduce the reliance
on agricultural chemicals and lessen the threat to groundwater.
See — for a discussion of best management practices.
170
204
PA
ME
The acquisition of selected woodland and other non-farm
,i
parcels could facilitate watershed preservation and wellhead
protection. Purchase of the unused portion of Camp Wauwepex in
Wading River could protect pine barrens land and provide a well
site that would be preferable to the proposed_ Wading River Road
site in the middle of the farmland. A few smaller acquisitions in
the Town of Riverhead could enhance the already partially protected
Peconic River corridor.
The Federal government could contribute to watershed
preservation in the western part of Riverhead by placing the land
it owns outside the fence at the National Cemetery in Calverton in
a protected category similar to that of nearby County lands.
The Town of Riverhead's landfill is currently in the center
of the SGPA. Converting this to a transfer site once the landfill
closes and creating a buffer area as development from nearby
parcels encroaches could allow the continuation of solid waste
activities without a conflict with watershed protection goals.
In addition to the Grumman complex, there are a series of
small groupings of industrial uses throughout the SGPA in
Riverhead. The Town has rezoned many acres of industrial land in
recent years; however, more could be rezoned, especially in the
Calverton area. Most industrial uses in the Town could be
concentrated either outside of the SGPA or in the area where
existing industries 'are grouped at the end of the Long Island
Expressway where it meets Routes 25 and 58. A planned industrial
area that preserves some open space and is ultimately tied into the
205
Riverhead sewer system would confine industrial growth to a much
smaller part of the Town. There is a large industrial use in
Aquebogue that will continue to exist, but other smaller uses in
the SGPA could be phased out and the land reused for residential
purposes.
Most of the commercial development in Riverhead is outside or
at the periphery of the SGPA, and could be confined to present
locations. There are some commercial services located at the end
of the Expressway, and the edge of the wading River business
district is in the SGPA. There are also small business areas in
Jamesport and Aquebogue, and a few neighborhood or highway
commercial establishments on Sound Avenue, Middle Road and Route
25. In western Southold, there is extensive commercial development
'
south of the railroad tracks in Mattituck and a small cluster of
C
commercial buildings on Aldrich Land and Route 25 inrLaurel. The
siting of new business development at locations outside the SGPA
or within the boundaries of existing commercial areas within the
SGPA could help to maintain the integrity of the agricultural and
open space lands that protect the groundwater and surface waters
in this sector.
, The Southold portion of the sector, which extends from the
Riverhead line to Mattituck, includes a combination of wooded and
farming areas around Laurel Lake. It is possible to create a
preserve for future watershed purposes in the western part of the
Town of Southold that would contain over 200 contiguous acres in
the deep recharge area in the vicinity of the lake. There is some
e
206
#1
A
farming,
some vacant
woodlands,
a former mining area and a camp
site that
could form
the core of
such an area.
Recommendations
Suffolk. County, together with the Towns of Riverhead and
Southold should expand the existing agricultural preserve.
The County should continue to acquire development rights under
its Farmland Preservation Program.
The Town of Riverhead should amend its zoning to require a
five acre minimum lot size for all farmland located ,within the
SGPA. At the same time, it should provide for the transfer of
development rights to non-farm sites outside the SGPA at one
dwelling unit per two acres.
The Town of Riverhead should require clustering of development
on those parcels where T.D.R. is not feasible.
The County and the Town of Southold should use a combination
of selective acquisition, T.D.R. and mandatory clustering to
assemble and protect a 200+ acre watershed preserve in the vicinity
of Laurel Lake. Such a preserve would comprise both woodlands and
portions of farm parcels.
i.
The County should acquire the unused portion of Camp Wauwepex
while permitting the Boy Scouts to continue using the remainder.
The County or the'Town of Riverhead should acquire the Canoe
Lake area and part or all of several small parcels along the
Peconic River.
The Federal Government should place excess land at the
i,
207
National Cemetery and in the Airport clear zones for the Calverton
facility in a protected category. Such lands constitute an
important part of the deep recharge area and should be retained as
open space.
The Town of Riverhead should reduce the amount of industrially
zoned land and should concentrate such development in existing
industrial areas at the end of the Long Island Expressway.
The Town of Southold should facilitate the phase out of the
former mining operation and of the small industrial use on :Sound
Avenue. Both properties should be converted to residential use and
further industrial development should not be permitted in this .part
of the SGPA.
The Towns of Riverhead and Southold should review their zoning
ordinances and amend them as necessary to preclude the expansion
of commercial activities beyond the limits of those SGPA areas
where such activities currently exist.
See Tables 39 and 40 for a breakdown of Plan Land Use and a
comparison of Existing and Plan Land Use, respectively. See Map
20 for Plan Land Use.
M.
208
Table 39 Plan Land Use (acres) in the
Northeast Portion of the Central Suffolk SGPA.
"Others" includes plan options, such as planned unit
development, landfill reclamation, relocation, etc., that
could not be assigned to a specific land use category.
Column may not total 01.1 due to rounding.
Source: Long Island Regional Planning Board.
209
SGPA Plan Land
Percent of
Land Use Category
Use
Total**
Residential
6,424
25.4
Vacant
0
0.0
Underwater Land
101
0.4
Commercial
306
1.2
Industrial
432
1.7
Institutional
236
0.9
Utilities
3,430
13.6
Open Space
4,121
16.3
Agricultural
9,711
38.4
Others*
509-
2.0
Total
25,270
"Others" includes plan options, such as planned unit
development, landfill reclamation, relocation, etc., that
could not be assigned to a specific land use category.
Column may not total 01.1 due to rounding.
Source: Long Island Regional Planning Board.
209
Table 40
Existing and Plan -Land
Use (acres) in the
Northeast Portion of
the Central Suffolk SGPA
SGPA
Change in Land Use
(+ = gain; - = loss)
1989 Existing Land
' Land Use Category
Use ....
Plan Land Use
Residential
1,,856
6,424
+4,568
3,328
0
-3,328
Vacant
• Underwater Land
103
101
-2
Commercial
182
306
+124
287
432
+145
Industrial
Institutional
195
236
+41
Utilities
3,.465
3,430
-35
2, 409
, �- I
+ 1,7J2-
Open Space
Agricultural
13,443
9, 111
509
+509
Others*
25,270
1
* "Others" includes plan options, such as planned
dnitdtoelopment, landfillc land reclamation,
relocation, etc., that could not beassigned
K
No
South Fork SGPA
General Background - The South Fork SGPA encompasses over
29,000 acres in the heart of the eastern Long Island resort, farm
and residential area. Two-thirds of the acreage is in Southampton
Town and the remainder in East Hampton Town.
The hilly topography and extensive woodlands of the northern
morainal area, together with the farmlands of the outwash plain to
the south contribute to a perception of open space and tranquility
that complements and enhances the higher density resort development
in nearby areas.
Soils and Topography - Four different soils associations are
found in the South Fork SGPA. The Plymouth -Carver association,
rolling and hilly, covers approximately half of this SGPA. It
occupies most of the central areas as well as the north and west
boundaries of the SGPA. Found on the Ronkonkoma moraine, these
soils are strongly sloping to steep, with a surficial incline of
between eight and thirty-five percent. The, major soils are deep,
coarse-textured and excessively drained. Some areas contain ridges
with large amounts of gravel on the surface. Permeability is
rapid. These characteristics severely limit the soils for
development.
The Bridgehampton-Haven soil association, found in several
areas along the southern border of the South Fork SGPA, covers
roughly 30% of the area. These South Fork outwash plain soils are
level to gently sloping. Slopes range from one to six percent.
Some areas near the moraine are pitted by steep -sided kettle holes.
211
Depth, good drainage, and moderate to high available moisture
capacity make this association one of the best farm soils in the
country. There are few limitations to use for building or
industrial sites. However, Bridgehampton soils tend to be slightly
wet in some areas and, therefore, are not always desirable for
septic tank drain fields and cesspools.
The Montauk, sandy variant -Plymouth soil association is found
in two areas located at the eastern end of the -SGPA. This
association covers approximately 15% of the SGPA and occurs on
generally very hilly or rolling morainal deposits, with slopes
ranging from one to thirty-five percent. Because these soils are
coarse-textured, droughty, and readily eroded, less sloping areas
are more appropriate for farming. Soils on less sloping areas have
few limitations for use however, the hardpan in these soils slows
infiltration and makes the installation and maintenance of
cesspools difficult.
A small area of well -drained Montauk -Haven -Riverhead
association soils covers approximately five percent of the SGPA in
the northwestern sector, near Noyack Bay. This association is
characterized by rolling hills, with soils that are nearly level
to,sloping. The soils are well suited to farming, but the more
sloping areas are subject to severe erosion. Montauk soils have
moderate to severe limitations for housing developments because of
slow infiltration in the hardpan layer.
Vegetation Association - The major vegetation associations
found within the South Fork SGPA are oak -dominated forests and pine
212
barrens. The oak dominated forests are found in areas of moist,
fertile soils on portions of the moraine andoutwash plains
throughout the SGPA. The canopy composition is dominated by white
oak, black oak, red oak and scarlet oak. On some of the moderately
wet soils, the canopy also includes American beech, red maple,
black birch and tulip can also'be found in the canopy. There is
a good understory that can include flowering dogwood, blueberry
and maple -leaved viburnum, among other evergreen and deciduous
shrubs.
The pine barrens association predominates in areas of
excessively drained less fertile soils on the moraines and outwash
Plains. In the pine barrens of the South Fork, pitch pine together
with white oak, is generally dominant. Black oak, scarlet oak and
post oak may also be present. Major ground covers consist of
shrubby and herbaceous plants including scrub oaks, huckleberry,
blackberries, bracken fern and sweetfern.
A white pine association can also be found scattered
throughout woodlands in between Northwest and Three Mile Harbors.
This association tends to occur on sites where the soils are
coarser and more moist than those that support the pitch pine.
The composition of the white pine forest consists of a canopy layer
of white pine with some oaks and maples and a ground layer of sweet
pepperbush and high bush blueberry, with only immature white pines
in the understory.
In the past farming was more extensive than it is today.
Throughout the South Fork SGPA there are sites that have been
213
M
cleared, farmed, abandoned or converted to other uses.'Examples of
natural vegetation succession from old field to first growth woods
abound. The overgrown or old field habitats vary in respect to
the dominance of herbaceous and shrub growth. The herb dominated
fields typically..contain goldenrods and asters, with Queen Ann's
lace, yarrow, bush clover, evening -primrose and- chicory also
present. Various grass species, including little bluestem, may
also occur along with big bluestem and fescue species. , As
succession proceeds, the old field habitat, is invaded by shrubs
including eastern red cedar, northern bayberry, autumn olive,
multiflora rose, sumac and raspberry. The shrub layer eventually
becomes dominant. In the later stages of succession, trees such
as black locusts, red cedar; ailanthus, and grey birch, as well as
undergrowth including wild blackberry, poison ivy, raspberry,
multiflora rose,, catbriar and grape form a first growth woods.
Rare and Endangered Species and Significant Habitats - The
majority of the natural elements in the South Fork SGPA occur near
ponds and their associated freshwater wetlands in the Sag Harbor
area. The coastal plain pond shore, ecological community has been
identified in this SGPA. Plant species common to many of the ponds
include creeping St. ,John's wort (E), rose coreopsis (R), ludwigia
(R), Carolina redroot (T), the long -beaked bald rush (R), short -
beaked bald rush (R), and _reticulated nutrush (R).. Singular
occurrences of certain species have also been noted around ponds
in this area. For example, Atlantic white cedars (R) are found
near Seven Ponds, and eastern mudminnows are reported in Long Pond.
214
One animal, the Tiger Salamander (E) is also common to these ponds.
The Grassy Hollow, area provides habitat for two threatened
plant species, bush rockrose and white milkweed. The coastal
barrens buckmoth (SC) and orange -fringed orchis (T) can be found
in a region east of the East Hampton Airport. One threatened plant
species, the tick -trefoil, was sighted in Amagansett.
Surface Waters and Freshwater Wetlands - The freshwater
wetlands within the South Fork SGPA are characterized by the
different features of the area's landscape. Many of the wetlands
that are found along the southern border of the SGPA are associated
with several streams and pond systems. In the western half of the
SGPA, there are many ponds, streams and associated upland wetlands,
including Mill Pond, which flows into Mecox Bay. Other wetlands
include areas around Long Pond and Shorts Pond in the vicinity of
Scuttlehole Road. Farther to the east, some.of,the wetlands are
associated with Georgics Pond are also located within the SGPA.
These wetlands in the southern part of the SGPA are mostly Class
I wetlands.
Along the northern border of the South Fork SGPA, many of the
wetlands are associated with ponds and streams that flow into
Peconic/Gardiners Bay, such as the extensive Sebonac Creek system.
In the center of the South Fork SGPA, the Long Pond system provides
an extensive wetland area from Sag Harbor to Bridgehampton, and
consists mostly of Class I wetlands. Farther to the east, there
are some wetlands located south and east of Northwest Harbor. In
the southwest corner of the SGPA, another creek flows south towards
215
the southern boundary of the SGPA.
Throughout the entire South Fork SGPA, many of the kettle
holes that dot the landscape support between Class II and Class
III wetlands. Altogether, the South Fork SGPA has 907 acres of
freshwater wetlands within its boundaries.
Hydrogeology- The South Fork SGPA straddles the groundwater
divide in the region east of Shinnecock Inlet and west of Napeague.
The divide runs east -west, and essentially bisects the SGPA, which
lies almost entirely within deep recharge Hydrogeologic Zone V.
Only the easternmost portions of the SGPA lie within shallow flow
Hydrogeologic Zone IV.
The geology of the South Fork reflects the complex sequence
of events that occurred prior to and during the Pleistocene
(Wisconsin) Glaciation. The most prominent geologic feature is' the
C
Ronkonkoma moraine, which trends east -west in the northern portion
of the SGPA. The moraine reaches heights of over 250 feet in the
Noyack area, and is crossed by north -south trending channels --
including those south of Sag Harbor and Three Mile Harbor =- that
were cut by water ponded north of the moraine as the glaciers
retreated. Within the morainal deposits, clay and till lenses
reduce vertical permeability, resulting in a mounded -- possibly
perched -- water table in the Noyack area. See Map 25.
The region south of the moraine consists of highly permeable
outwash plain deposits that range in thickness from 200 to 350
feet, with a general increase from west to east. Outwash deposits
directly overlie Magothy deposits, with the exception of the
216
Bridgehampton area, where a marine Gardiners clay unit intervenes.
The top surface of the Magothy increases in depth from west to
east, from -150 feet at Hampton Park to -300 feet or more at
Amagansett.
The region north of the moraine consists primarily of glacial
outwash directly overlying the Magothy. Units of lower
permeability, however, may be present within or just below the
sequence of glacial deposits, including the Montauk Till Member in
easternmost portions of the SGPA, and a clay (Gardiners) unit in
the northernmost portion of Noyack, which may contribute to the
mounding of the water table seen in this region.
The thickness of fresh water in the glacial aquifer generally
increases from west to east within the SGPA, from 150+ feet at
Hampton Park to 200-.300 feet at Grassy Hollow, and 300+ feet at
Amagansett. Freshwater thicknesses in the--Magothy aquifer are
greatest (400+ feet) in the south central Noyack area, and are
generally at least 200 feet beneath most of the SGPA. The
exceptions are the northeastern portion (Grassy Hollow) and
easternmost portion (Amagansett), where the Magothy is salty. The
total thickness of the freshwater lens below the SGPA ranges from
6.00+ feet -in southcentral Noyack to 350+ feet at Hampton Park, and
200-400 feet at Grassy Hollow and Amagansett.
Groundwater Flow - Horizontal groundwater flow velocities within
the SGPA are generally on the order of 0.5-0.75 ft/yr, which are
somewhat less than those on the main body of Suffolk. Areas west
of Noyack are characterized by a westerly component of flow, while
217
areas east of Noyack have an easterly component® Variations occur
near the boundaries of the SGPA, where flow directions are
influenced by tidal surface waters such as Northwest Creek and
Three Mile Harbor® Horizontal flow directions, and the position
of the groundwater divide in the region south of the Noyack water
table
"mound" are
unknown,
and depend on the extent to which the
mound
represents a
perched
water table®
Water Supply Two purveyors, the Suffolk County Water Authority
and the Bridgehampton Water Company, serve the population on
public water® There are three community public water supply well
fields within the SGPA boundaries, and another six located adjacent
to or just downgradient of the SGPA. See Table 42. Their combined
1987 average daily pumpage of 4 mgd represents 16 percent of the
total installed pumping capacity at the fields® it should be noted
that maximum day'pumpage is usually estimated at four to five times
average daily pumpagea The sCWA owns future well sites near the
divide on Water Mill ® Towd Road, Roses Grove Road, Scuttle Hole
Road, and Sag Harbor Turnpike. it also owns an abandoned well
field on Cozzens. Lane that formerly belonged to the Amagansett
Water Company®
Well Fields Within the SGPA
SCWA Edge of Woods Road
SCWA Long Springs Road
Bridgehampton Lumber Lane
218
Capacity 1987 Ptmpage
2.02 mgd 0.66 mgd
5®04 mgd 0®52 mgd
3.46 mgd 0034 mgd
10052 mgd 1052 mgd
13
a
Fields Downgradient of SGPA Capacity 1987 Pimmage
SCWA West Prospect Street 1.01 mgd 0.20 mgd
SCWA Division Street 3.17 mgd 0.43 mgd
SCWA Bridgehampton Road 3.24 mgd 0.45 mgd
SCWA Oak View Highway 2.88 mgd 0.34 mgd
SCWA Spring Close Highway 2.45 mgd 0.89 mgd
SCWA Cross Highway 1.54 mad 0.12 mqd
14.29 mgd 2.43 mgd
Water Quality - Glacial water quality south of the divide in the
western portion of the SGPA has been impacted by agricultural
chemicals, particularly nitrate and pesticides. This contamination
is apparent in many private wells throughout the region, and in
most of the shallow public supply wells. All glacial .supply wells
have elevated nitrates, some approaching the 10 ppm standard, and
most have- pesticide (aldicarb) concentrations necessitating GAC
treatment. Among those being treated are the 160' well at SCWA
West Prospect Street, which was taken off line in 1985-6; the two
shallowest (87'-1001) wells at SCWA Long Springs Road, and the.two
shallowest (1101) wells at Bridgehampton Water Company's Lumber
Lane well field. The two other glacial wells at Long Springs Road
have also been impacted by pesticides, but have never exceeded
drinking water guidelines.
Thus far, the Magothy wells at western well fields south of
the divide have remained pesticide -free, although slight increases
in nitrate and agricultural chloride have been observed in those
at West Prospect Street and Lumber Lane. This trend can be
expected to continue for the conservative contaminants, however,
the eventual appearance of pesticides will depend on the rate at
which they degrade within the aquifer, which is presently unknown.
219
In any event, it, is possible that agricultural contamination in
the form of nitrate and pesticides w.ill'eventually be encountered
at the SCWA's well field site on Scuttle Hole Road that has been
leased to the Bridgehampton Water Company. The well field is
located near the divide and is surrounded by farmland.
The water quality is considerably better north of the divide
in the western portion of the SGPA, since almost all farming
activities are located south of the divide, and the low intensity
of land use in the region can be expected to preclude the
introduction of potentially significant pollution sources. For
example, both the glacial (2681) and Magothy (3661) wells at SCWA
Edge of Woods Road produce pristine water, as should future wells
at the proposed SCWA well fields at Roses Grove Road and Water
Mill-Towd Road, which is just south of the divide.
Groundwater below the undeveloped central portion -of the SGPA
can be assumed to be pristine as reflected by the quality of the
three glacial production wells at SCWA Division Street,'and S'CDHS
profile test well 5-71318, located just north of the LIRR near Town
Line Road, -which sampled the upper 100 feet of the glacial aquifer.
Superior water quality should also be present 'in the northeast
(Grassy Hollow) area, and -south. toward East Hampton Airport and the
future SCWA well field site on Sag Harbor Turnpike. Localized
contamination problems, however, may be present in the vicinities
of the Sag Harbor, Old Bridgehampton, and Old East Hampton (Bull
Path) landfills. At least one industrial solvent plume has been
identified --along, Carroll Street in Sag Harbor where Federal
220
IN
No
Superfund monies were used to extend public water to twenty-five
homes.
Groundwater in the southeastern portion of the SGPA is
relatively unimpacted, except for some agricultural contamination
affecting a number of private wells in the Hardscrabble area, and
the three shallow glacial supply wells formerly pumped at the
Amagansett Water Company well field, at -Cozzens Lane. A SCDHS
profile test well at Cozzens Lane found nitrate (10-15 ppm) down
to the limit of drilling 1001 below the water table; and carbamate
pesticides (7-34 ppb) in the horizon 30'-50' below the water table.
Glacial production wells at SCWA Bridgehampton Road also have had
elevated nitrates (2-5 ppm) related to agricultural activities.
GAC treatment of these wells, however, has been undertaken to
remove organic solvents (trichloroethane), which probably
originated as a result of illegal dumping somewhere upgradient to
the north. A combination of old agricultural activities and more
recent residential development are probably responsible for the
slightly elevated nitrate concentrations in the 162' glacial well
at SCWA Oak View Highway, and in the 125' glacial and 244' Magothy
wells at SCWA Spring Close Highway. Water quality at the two 1501
glacial wells at SCWA Cross Highway appears unaffected by human
activities. Chloride concentrations are very slightly elevated
(20+ ppm), however, due to the proximity of ocean salt spray.
The phenomenon of saltwater upconing--the localized upward
movement of the freshwater/ saltwater interface due to pumping --has
been experienced at two SCWA supply wells in the SGPA region.
221
Chloride concentrations In the 287' Magothy well at SCWA Long
Springs Road increased from initial values around 12 ppm in the
early 1970s to around 100 ppm by 1982; subsequent reductions in
pumping stress at the well have allowed its continued use, with
a gradual drop in chloride concentrations back to the 30 ppm range.
Similarly, the 4669 Magothy well at SCWA Oak View Highway increased
in chloride concentrations from 26 ppm in 1979 to 112 ppm in 1986,
when a larger portion of the pumping load was shifted to a new,
shallower (3031) Magothy well on site.
Land Use - Three land use categories -- vacant, agricultural
and open space -- account for two thirds of the acreage within the
SGPA.
The number of acres of vacant land; that is, land not being
used for any particular purpose, includes more than two fifths of
the SGPA total. Vacant land in the terminal moraine is primarily
wooded. Approximately 20% of the vacant land within the SGPA is
included in old filed subdivisions. Vacant land on the outwash
plain is predominantly in old field vegetation and was probably
farmland at one time.
Agriculture is still a significant land use activity in the
South Fork SGPA, especially in the southern portion or outwash
plain. Crops account for approximately two-thirds of the
agricultural acreage. Nursery stock and horse farms probably
account for the remaining one-third. Manure piles, presumably
awaiting use as fertilizer, were observed adjacent to fields.
222
Hampton have undertaken efforts to preserve farmland. Suffolk
OL County has purchased 671 acres; the Town of Southampton, 516 acres;
IN
and East Hampton, 64 acres of development rights to farmlands in
the SGPA.
In addition, a review of subdivisions recently filed with the
Suffolk County Clerk indicates a growing trend toward clustering
of housing units, with the remaining acreage set aside as an
agricultural reserve.
Low density residential land use is increasing within the area
of the terminal moraine. The housing units are relatively high
priced and are used seasonally; the lots range in size from one to
five acres. Use of the flag lot is widespread. The lots are
usually heavily wooded with minimal clearance for lawns.
Medium density development, with homes on parcels ranging in
size from one tenth to just under one acre, occupies roughly four-
fifths of the residentially used land. A significant portion of
the medium density residential use is found along major town and
County roads in the outwash plain.
There is little commercial or industrial land use. Most of
the extremely limited commercial activity is located along Montauk
Highway.
Industrial land uses in the SGPA are centered in the Three
Mile Harbor Road/Springs-Fireplace Road area. With the exception
of sand mining, industrial activity within the SGPA appears to be
insignificant. There are several abandoned and active sand mines.
Some of the abandoned sand mines are being used as dump sites.
223
Total acreage in recreation and open space appears to be
insignificant in the SGPA. The 521 -acre Bridgehampton Race
circuit, a unique commercial -recreational use, has been abandoned
and the land is now available for redevelopment. See Table 43 for
total acreage by land use.category.
Zoning - Most of the South Fork SGPA is zoned for residential use
at densities that range from one to five acres per dwelling unit
in both Southampton and East Hampton. In some cases higher
densities are permitted on farmland, while woodland areas, are
generally placed'in the lowest density category. However, there
are a few exceptions to this pattern. There is very little non-
residential zoning in the South Fork SGPA, with the exception of
the land around the East Hampton Town Airport. This area has the
most industrial zoning in the SGPA. There are also some industrial
and commercially.zoned parcels near East Hampton Village.
4
224
A
Table43 Existing Land Use (acres) in the
South Fork SGPA, 1989.
Total 29,692.
* Column may not total 100.0 due to rounding.
Source® Long Island Regional Planning Board.,
225
Existing
Percent of
Land Use Category
Land Use
Total*
Residential
8,246
27A
Vacant
12,914
43.5
Underwater Land
_ 305
1®0
Commercial
142
0.5
Industrial
311
1.0
Institutional
70
0.2
Utilities
961
3.2
Open Space
1,899
6.4
Agricultural
4,844
16.3
Total 29,692.
* Column may not total 100.0 due to rounding.
Source® Long Island Regional Planning Board.,
225
Problems and Concerns - The South Fork problems and concerns
generally relate to the contaminant impacts of past and present
land uses and activitiesi,, the need to preserve clean recharge areas.
and well sites; and the potential for saltwater upconing, due to
overpumping.
As indicated in the earlier discussion of water .quality,
glacial aquifer water in the western, and in part of the
southeastern portion of the SGPA already shows the effect of heavy
agricultural chemical usage. A continuation of practices that
involve fertilizer use in excess of potential plant uptake, poor
timing of fertilizer and pesticide applications or exclusive
reliance on organic chemical pesticide applications could
exacerbate existing groundwater contamination. Poor design and
maintenance of farm gasoline and diesel distribution pumps and
equipment storage areas or careless use of petroleum products could
further impair the water supply:
There are three landfill sites -- Sag Harbor, Old
Bridgehampton, and Old. East Hampton (Bull Path) --within. the SGPA
boundaries, while another three --Old North Sea, North Sea, and East
Hampton (Springs -Fireplace Road) -- are located just outside the
boundaries. ;Only;the,leachate plume for the active North Sea site
has been defined. The direction of groundwater flow carries this
plume to the northwest, away from the SGPA.
The Cornell" University analysis of historic aerial, photos
revealed 40 sites within the SGPA where vegetation had been
disturbed; pits dug; or sand mining operations, conducted. Each
22-6
IN
of these sites may have been used for uncontrolled (.open) dumping.
In addition, over a dozen other sites ®-primarily sand mines --
were identified where dumping and landfilling definitely took
place. These include sand mines in central Noyack, Bridgehampton,
and northern Amagansett.
Few industrial or commercial operations are located within the
SGPA that,: could pose a significant threat to groundwater quality.
Only one major industrial plume has been identified --from a site
formerly occupied by Rowe Industries on the east side of Sag Harbor
Turnpike. This plume was found to consist of multiple organic
solvents and to extend 1/2 mile downgradient (NNW) through a
residential area (Carroll Street). The Rowe industrial site was
placed on the State Superfund list.
kOther possible sources include underground petroleum storage
tans at local gas stations and the East Hampton Airport, and
scattered service busirdsses such as exterminators' shops, auto
repair shops and vehicle fleet storage areas.
For many years, woodlands covered a large part of the SGPA and
protected the quality of the recharge. However, the extensive
residential development now occurring in the pine barrens area of
Southampton, together with the development that occurred in the
Town of East Hampton during the past decade, has reduced and
continues,to reduce the size of the undisturbed recharge area.
The existence of a series of largely vacant but developable
old filed map .subdivisions in the far western portion of the SGPA
poses the threat of high density unsewered development in an
227
otherwise open area. Elsewere, a pattern of land ownership based
on long narrow parcels hinders clustering and open space retention
even when development occurs at an appropriate density.
Past incidents of chloride 'contamination -- one affecting a
Magothy well within the SGPA in Southampton and the other, a
Magothy well outside and downgradient to the south -- suggest the
possibility of future saltwater upconing in the event of
significant increases in pumpage.
Opportunities - Much of the SGPA.is in, agricultural or low density
residential use. There is an opportunity to assure the continued
agricultural use of the prime soils of the outwash plain in a
manner that is compatible with groundwater protection. There is
also an opportunity to retain a considerable portion of the
morainal woodlands as open space and protected recharge area.
A large farmland preservation area has a:l'ready been
established in the Town of Southampton; stretching from Water Mill
through Bridgehampton. It contains extensive County and Town
development rights parcels as well as parcels whose owners have
elected to join an agricultural district. There is a smaller
farmland preservation area just north of the Village of East
Hampton and an agricultural preserve in Amagansett.
Additional purchases of development rights in, the, first two
areas, .where the,County and the Towns have already provided for
permanent preservation of a number of parcels, and in the third
area, where current arrangements afford only short term protection,
could preclude the piecemeal, irretrievable 'loss of -a productive
N
228
229
asset. Dedications of land or development rights as a.consequence
of clustering or the transfer of development rights to sites
outside the farm area could be used to supplement County and Town
purchases, especially when located adjacent to contiguous farm
parcels®
Farming activities involving frequent or heavy use of
agricultural chemicals have been a source of groundwater
contamination; however, today there -is an opportunity to employ
modern best management practices to reduce reliance on fertilizers
and pesticides and lessen the threat to groundwater quality® See
PP for a discussion of best management practices.
County and Town proposals for woodland and other greenbelt
acquisitions could protect relatively undisturbed recharge areas
and at the same time permit the creation of a trail system and
continuous ribbon of parkland through large portions of the special
groundwater preserve. In fact, the Towns of Southampton and East
Hampton have already prepared detailed, lot -by -lot plans for part
of the area. There is an opportunity to purchase key watershed
parcels at Edge of Woods Road, in the area stretching from Long
Pond to Camps Pond and easterly to the Sag Harbor greenbelt with
a continuation across into the area around East Hampton Airport.
There is also a chance to purchase other key parcels in the Grassy
Hollow and Stony Hill Woods; and to supplement the major
acquisitions with land obtained through clustering or T.D.R.
Cluster development on large parcels such as the Bridgehampton race
track, the airport area, and Grassy Hollow could further expand the
229
protected open space and provide areas for future well sites..
Town of Southampton or County acquisition and replatting of
the old filed map subdivisions in the western portion of the area
could provide for both residential use and the retention of open
space. The open space could serve as a local greenbelt or as an
expanded buffer for the North Sea landfill®
J
Both towns could -facilitate clustering and open space
reservation by providing incentives -to owners of long narrow
contiguous parcels to develop two or more such parcels as a single
clustered subdivision.
Finally, there is an opportunity to rehabilitate and reuse the
old landmines, primarily for residential or recreational use. _
Recommendations
Suffolk County, the Town of Southampton and the Town of East
Hampton should continue to purchase farmland development rights in
order to consolida=te and expand the farm preservation area. The
towns should also use clustering and TDR as appropriate to add to
the area® To the extent feasible, road frontage should remain in
agricultural use.
Suffolk- County should continue to support the Cornell
Cooperative Extension Service efforts to introduce and to secure
the adoption of best management practices for agriculture.
The County and the towns should continue to acquire and
preserve woodland and other non-farm parcels in accordance with the
greenbelt plans,." The towns should also utilize mandatory
230
M
14
clustering and, where appropriate, TDR to supplement their
purchases.
The Town of Southampton should acquire and replat all or as
much as possible of the old filed map subdivisions to prevent
unsewered, development at densities that are incompatible with
groundwater protection.
The -towns should rezone areas not, already zoned for
residential use at five acres per dwelling unite to require a
minimum lot size of five acres. However, provision -should be made
for the transfer of development rights to sites outside the SGPA
at the rate of one unit for every two acres.
The towns should consider granting a density bonus that would
permit development 'at less than five acres per dwelling unit
whenever two or more of the long narrow lots are merged in a
clustered subdivision.
The towns should limit commercial and industrial uses to those
few areas already committed to them.
The New York State Department of Conservation and the two
towns should require the filling'and regrading of mined sites. The
Town of Southampton should consider the reuse of the deep hole just
west of the Bridgehampton Race Track as part of a recreation
oriented residential development.
See Tables 44 and 45 for a quantification of Plan Land Use
acreage by land use category and a comparison of Existing and Plan
Land,Use, respectively. See Map 27 for the location of Plan Land
Uses.
231
Table 44 Plan Land Use (acres) in the
South Fork SGPA.
SGPA Plan Land Percent of
Land Use Category Use Total**
Residential
Vacant
Underwater Land
Commercial
Industrial
Institutional
Utilities
Open Space
Agricultural
Others*
15,790
53.2
0
0.0
305
1.0
127
0.4
208
0.7
-125
0.4
794
2.7
8,171
27.5
3,884
13.1
288
1.0
Total 29,692
* "Others" includes plan options, such as planned unit
development, landfill reclamation, relocation, etc., that
could not be assigned to a specific land use category.
** Column may not total 100.0 due to rounding.
Source: Long Island Regional Planning Board.
232
N
W
w
Table 45
Existing and Plan Land Use (acres) in the South Fork SGPA
Land Use Category
Residential
Vacant
Underwater Land
Commercial
Industrial
Institutional
Utilities
Open Space
Agricultural
Others*
Total
1989 Existing Land
SGPA
Change in
Land Use
Use
Plan Lard Use
(+ = gain;
- = loss)
8,246
12,914
305
142
311
70
961
1,899
4,844
29,692
15,790
0
305
127
208
125
794
8,171
3,884
288
29,692
+7,544
-12,914
0
-15
-103
+55
-167
+6,272
-960
+288
* "Others" includes plan options, such as planned unit development, landfill reclamation,
relocation, etc., that could not be assigned to a specific land use category.
A
234
Hither Hills SGPA
General Background The Hither Hills SGPA encompasses
approximately 2900 wooded acres in the Town of East Hampton® Most
of the Montauk peninsula from Napeague Harbor on the west to Fort
Pond Bay on the east lies within the SGPA.
For the most part, the water beneath the Hither Hills area
® a critical source of potable supply for the extreme easterly
portion of the South Fork -m is adequately protected® More than
97 percent of the entire SGPA has been set aside for public
recreation and conservation. Hither Hills, a well established
State Park® the Hither Woods Preserve, which was placed in the
public domain through the combined efforts and financial
contributions of New York State, Suffolk County and the Town of
East Hampton® and, finally, the Lee E. Koppelman Preserve, the
first parcel selected for Suffolk County purchase under the Quarter
Percent Watershed Acquisition Program, constitute an unbroken
expanse of permanently protected open space®
Soils and Tonography ® Two soils associations ®® the Dune land®
Tidal Marsh -Beaches association and the Montauk, sandy variant®
Plymouth association ®® are found within the SGPA.
The Dune land -Tidal Marsh -Beaches association, which covers
approximately one quarter of the SGPA, occurs in the western end
of the area bordering Napeague Harbor. This is a barrier beach
association with topography typical of sand dunes and beaches.
Just landward of the beaches, there are uneven dunes made up
primarily of nearly even -sized sand grains that have been piled up
A
234
by winds. Vegetation is sparse on most dunes. In places, dunes
have encroached on marshland, and the water table is within two or
three feet of the surface. The tidal marsh has an organic surface
layer that ranges in thickness from a few inches to several feet.
The organic layer is underlain by white sand. The water level is
at or near the surface throughout the year.
The Montauk, sandy variant -Plymouth association, which covers
approximately three-quarters of the SGPA, occurs in the eastern
portion of the area. These coarse morainal soils are very hilly
and rolling, with slopes ranging from one to 35 percent. The
coarse texture and droughty character of the soils, combined with
a high water table, severely limit the development of these areas.
Vegetation Associations - Hither Woods is a densely wooded site
with several scattered grassy downs areas. The wooded areas
c.
consist mostly of oaks, predominantly white oaks. Other trees
include hickory, red maple, sassafras, and holly. Stands of beech
were sighted at a few locations in the southwestern section.
Substantial growths of mountain laurel can also be found on the i
eastern part of the site, especially in the Rod's. Valley area. A
couple of Natural Heritage species have been found in the grassy
downs areas of Ram's;Level, Quince Tree Landing, the open areas
along the LILCO right-of-way and along the Old North Road (see
below). A number of New York State protected plants. can also be
found in the area, including holly, bayberry, laurel, trailing
arbutus, the New York lady fern and interrupted fern species. The
flora of transitional zones between the grassy downs and the
235
forested areas comprises such bushy species as smooth sumac,
shadebush, blueberry, and huckleberry.
Maritime influences are clearly seen in the stunted, bushy
growth found north of the railroad tracks. Here the ground cover
consists primarily of stunted oak trees, scrub oak, blueberry,
bayberry, dusty miller, rosy rugosa, beach plum and beach grass.
Rare and tndanaered Species and Significant Habitats - The Hither
Hills SGPA contains a, total of 15 different rare and endangered
species and four ecological communities including maritime
grassland, maritime interdunal Swale, maritime oak -holly forest and
maritime heathland. The western peninsula of the Hither Hills
State Park provides habitat for two plant species, the•seabeach
amaranth and seabeach knotweed, as well as two endangered bird
species, the least tern and the piping plover. Maritime interdunal
swales bordered by a maritime oak -holly forest exist in the area
of the Walking Dunes, where several threatened and rare plant
species are found. The bushy rockrose (T) and Nantucket juneberry
(E) grow in the grassy downs area between Hither Hills Overlook and
Quincetree Landing. These same species plus slender crabgrass (R)
are found in a maritime grassland at the east end of the SGPA in
the Hither Woods area.
In addition, the Hither Hills Uplands has been designated as
a Significant Fish and'Wildlife Habitat. The boundaries of this
habitat encompass the entire South Fork SGPA. The Hither Hills
Uplands represent one of the largest undeveloped tracts of coastal
upland areas on Long Island, and include one of the largest
236
deciduous forests in the region. Consequently, the area provides
extensive suitable habitat for a variety of wildlife species, among
them the white-tailed deer, red fox, red -shouldered hawk (SC),
northern harrier,.(SC), spotted turtle (SC) and Fowlers toad.
The SGPA also provides significant opportunities for human use
and enjoyment of fish and wildlife resources. Hunting is allowed
throughout much of the area, and sportsmen pursue a variety of game
species. In addition, this is a locally popular area for
birdwatchers.
Surface Waters and Freshwater Wetlands - The Hither Hills SGPA
encompasses extensive wetland areas, especially those associated
with Fresh Pond and at other locations within the borders of the
Hither Hills State Park. Almost all wetlands in this SGPA are Class
I wetlands and they cover and area of 297 acres.
Hydrogeolocry - Unlike all but one of the other SGPAs, Hither
Hills is located outside the deep flow hydrogeologic zones.
However, the central portion of' the SGPA represents a locally
significant deep recharge region for the underlying freshwater
lens, even though, the entire SGPA falls within shallow flow
Hydrogeologic zone IV. The major portion of the Hither Hills area
lies north of the local groundwater divide. See Map 28.
The geology, like that of the rest of the South, Fork, reflects
the complex sequence of events that occurred prior to and during
Pleistocene glaciation. The upper 300 feet of sediments, from
bottom to, top, generally consists of the following units:
continental margin deposits of the Magothy Formation, up to 70,' of
237
post -Cretaceous glaciofluvial deposits, a. 201-40° thick marine clay
unit similar to Gardiner.s Clay, and glacial deposits of Pleistocene
age consisting of highly -permeable glaciofluvial sand and gravel.
Overlying units of low permeability, such as (Montauk) till and
(Ronkonkoma) morainal deposits, are generally absent within the
SGPA.
The Pleistocene glacial deposits overlying the marine clay are
the only major freshwater -bearing unit in the region, and are
referred to as the "principal aquifer.11 Fresh groundwater within
the aquifer exists as a lens that reaches a maximum thickness of
about 140' in the center of the region. Its lower limit, the
freshwater/ saltwater interface, generally occurs within or just
above the marine clay units at about 100'-140' below sea level.
The post -Cretaceous unit underlying the clay is salty except for
the upper 15-20 feet near the center of the region and the-Magothy
below is also salty. Neither represents a potential source of water
supply.
Groundwater Flow - The Montauk peninsula from Napeague Harbor to
Fort Pond Bay approximates an oceanic "strip island" where the
directions of groundwater flow are normal to the line of the
central divide. Near the westernmost boundary, however, flow moves
radially outward toward the shoreline. Horizontal groundwater flow
velocities within the SGPA are generally on the order of one-half
foot per day --even less near the divide-- and increase to about one
foot per day at 1, 000 feet .from the shoreline. The volume of fresh
water within the lens, on the order of 3b billion gallons, has an
238
average turnover rate or residence time of about 15 years. Water
the
recharged near central third of the lens can be expected to
have a greater residence of up to many decades, while that
recharged within 1000 feet of the shoreline may be discharged
within two to three years.
Water Supply - Three SCWA well fields, each with.a single well with
an authorized capacity of 300 gpm, are located just to the east of
the SGPA boundary. The South Davis Avenue well, installed in 1974,
experienced an increase in chlorides from 10 ppm to 50-60 ppm after
1984, when pumping rates were increased by over 50% to 0.11 mgd--
the equivalent of a continuous 75 gpm. The Montauk .Point State
Boulevard well, installed in 1980, has increased pumpage to almost
0.2 mgd or close to one-half its authorized capacity. Chloride
concentrations in early 1989 were in the 20-25 ppm range. The
Edison Drive well, installed in 1988, is still operating under a
temporary permit. Initial water quality samples have shown
chloride concentrations in the 20-25 ppm range.
Land Use - As previously indicated, the predominant land use is
public recreation/conservation or open space. This category,
together with underwater land, accounts for all but 78 acres or 2.7
percent of the 2860 acres within the SGPA. The 57 acres classified
as utilities are owned by the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) for
transportation purposes. The remaining 21 acres, listed as vacant
in 1989, are part of a former sand mining site that is to be
converted to residential use. See Table 46 for total acreage by
land use category. See Map 29.
239
Table 46 Existing Land Use (acres) in the
Hither Hills SGPA, 1989.
f
Existing Percent of
Land Use Category Land Use Total*
Residential
0
0.0
Vacant
21
0.7
Underwater Land
34
1.2
Commercial
0
0.0
Industrial
0
0.0
Institutional
0
0.0
Utilities
57
2.0
Open Space
2,748
96.1
Agricultural
0
0.0
Total
2,860
* Column may not total 100.0 due to rounding.
Source: Long Island Regional Planning Board.
240
I
Problems and Concerns - There is no evidence that water quality
below the SGPA is anything but pristine. One of the few potential
sources of contamination is the LIRR, which may have used waste oil
and pesticides on the track right-of-way. Another potential source
is the leachate plume from the East Hampton Town landfill, which
may intersect the easternmost portion of the SGPA. The landfill
has been placed on New York State's Superfund site list.In
addition, the Cornell University air photo inventory identified
three small sand mines along the shore of Fort Pond Bay; however,
there is no evidence that contaminating substances were disposed
of at any of these sites.
Now that State, County and Town efforts have assured the
continued existence of the unique natural resource represented by
the Hither Hills SGPA, concern has shifted from the need for public
acquisition to questions of management and use. The sensitivity
of some habitats and the presence of numerous rare and endangered
species suggest that not all parts of the SGPA are equally well
suited for recreation, however passive, or for water supply
development.
Opportunities = Although several agencies share responsibility for
portions of Hither Hills, there is an opportunity -to plan for and
manage the SGPA as an entity. Such an integrated approach could
ensure consideration, even optimization of recreational, esthetic,
ecological and watershed values.
State and County personnel, with the assistance of a non-
governmental group such as the Nature Conservancy could
241
investigate, classify and map open space,units according to their
environmental sensitivity, and significance. The knowledge thus
obtained could serve as the basis for determining the type, size
and placement of recreation facilities --including the location of
trails -- and for evaluating the impacts of proposed well sites
that meet hydrologic and engineering criteria.
Recommendations
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and
Conservation or the Long Island State Park Commission and the New
York State Department of Conservation should each appoint a
representative to work with County and Nature Conservancy or other
appropriate personnel and to assist in the investigations and
management planning described under "Opportunities".
Suffolk County should assume overall responsibility for
program initiation, preparation of a preliminary work plan and cost
estimates, and the identification of sources of funding.
As in the case of all other SGPAs, two tables -one listing,
Plan Land Use acreage, by land use category,_ and one providing a
comparison of Existing and Plan Land Use -- follow the
recommendations. Since the acreage figures in Tables 47 and 48
deal with broad categories of use and since virtually all.of the
land is in'a single category, the tables are useful only for the
comparison of Hither Hills and other SGPAs.
See Map 30 for the location of Plan Land Uses.
242
Table47 Plan Land Use (acres) in the
Hither Hills SGPA.
Total 2;860
* 01Others" includes plan options, such as planned unit
development, landfill reclamation, relocation, etc., that
could not be assigned to a specific land use category.
** Column may not total.100.0 due to rounding.
Source: ;Long Island Regional Planning Board.
243
SGPA Plan Land
Percent of
Land Use Category
Use
Total**
Residential
21
0.7'
0
0.0
Vacant
Underwater Land
34
1.2
Commercial
0
0.'0
Industrial
0
0.01
Institutional
0
0.0
Utilities
57
2.,D
Open Space
2,748
96.1
Agricultural'
0
0.0
Others*
Total 2;860
* 01Others" includes plan options, such as planned unit
development, landfill reclamation, relocation, etc., that
could not be assigned to a specific land use category.
** Column may not total.100.0 due to rounding.
Source: ;Long Island Regional Planning Board.
243
Table 48 Existing and Plan Land Use (acres) in the Hither hills SGPA
'
1989 -Existing -Land
SGPA
change in Land Use
Land Use Category
Use
Plan Land
Ilse (+ = gain; - = loss)
Residential
0
21
+21
Vacant
21
0
-21
Underwater Land
34
34
0
Commercial
0
0
0
Industrial
0
0
0
Institutional
0
0
0
Utilities
57
57
0
N
-
Open Space
2,748
2,748
Agricultural
0
0
0
Others*
--
�-
--
Total
2,860
2,860
* "Others" includes plan
options, such
as planned unit development, landfill reclamation,
relocation, etc., that could not be assigned to
a specific land use category.
W
Southold SGPA
General Background - The Southold SGPA encompasses a more than
2900 acre corridor extending from the east side of Mattituck inlet
to Southold hamlet in the vicinity of County Route 48 and the Long
Island Railroad.
Although located on the North Fork, all of which is part of
the shallow flow Hydrogeologic Zone IV, and consisting primarily
of farmland, this area was designated an SGPA by NYSDEC
Commissioner Jorling at the request of the Town of Southold and on
the recommendation'of the Citizens Advisory Committee zind of the
LIRPB. Support for the designation was basedon two
considerations; namely, that this area represents a major portion
of the locally significant deep recharge and that designation could
facilitate the improvement and ultimate restoration of groundwater
quality.
Soils and Topography - The Haven -Riverhead association is found
throughout the entire Southold SGPA. This is a north share outwash
plain association, characterized by gently sloping to level soils
with slopes of between one and 12 -percent. Some areas are pitted
with kettle holes. Good drainage and a high moisture capacity make
these soils excellent for farming. Ease of'excavation makes them
equally suitable for development, except in areas where the water
table is high.
Vegetation Associations - The area in the Southold, SGPA is
predominately agricultural except for a small band of woodlands
between Goldsmith Inlet in Peconic and Great Pond in, Southold.
245
A
This woodland is a typical moist oak woodland characterized by
mixed oaks -- mostly red, along with post, black, and white oak,
American beech, and red maple dominating the canopy. Flowering
dogwood usually forms the tree understory. Maple -leaved viburnum,
sweet pepperbush and honeysuckle are common in the undergrowth.
Rare and Endangered Species and Significant Habitats - Two plant
species, the dwarf plaintain and the orange -fringed orchis (T),
were noted in the eastern region'of the Southold SGPA. However,
the last recorded observation of these species occurred more than
fifty years ago.
Surface Waters and Freshwater Wetlands - The Southold SGPA has
freshwater wetlands located south and east of Goldsmith Inlet.
These wetlands encompass 26 acres and have been ranked as Class; II
and Class III wetlands.
Hvdrogeoly - The SGPA is located on the North -Fork betuieen
Mattituck Inlet
and
the hamlet
of Southold,
with
the major portion
lying north of
the
groundwater
divide. See
Map
31.
Surf icial deposits in the area consist of glacial outwash Nand
and gravel derived from the Harbor Hill terminal moraine, wiLich
forms a ridge along the north shore. In most portions of the SGPA,
these deposits are underlain by a significant clay unit formed in
lake and shallow marine environments during the interval bettireen
the Ronkonkoma ice sheet retreat and the Harbor Hill ice -front
advance. The top of the unit lies 60'-120' below sea level, -and
may be related to "Smithtown Clay" found in west -central Suffolk.
Below the clay unit there are older glacial deposits, which rest
246
11-
t4
247
upon continental margin deposits of the Magothy Formation.
CThe
only hydrogeologic unit of regional significance, from a
water supply standpoint, is that portion of the upper glacial
aquifer lying above the clay, since glacial deposits belour the clay
contain only limited amounts of fresh groundwater (ZLbove the
saltwater interface), and the underlying Magothy is entirely salty.
The clay unit limits the volume of the usable freshwater resource,
but also protects large agricultural -and public supply wells from
upconing saltwater. Where the clay is absent, the usable fresh
water resource extends down to the saltwater interface, but wells
in these areas are susceptible to saltwater upconing. Such
condition exists in the Mattituck Creek area, where a large channel
was eroded through the clay and was subsequently refilled by sand
and gravel'outwash deposits.
Groundwater Flow - The general direction of groundwater flow in the
study area, east of Mattituck Creek is toward Long Island Sound,
normal to the line of the central divide. The tidal waters of
Mattituck Creek, however, influence flow directions west of
Cutchogue. Horizontal flow velocities within the study, area are
generally less than one-half foot per day, but may increase to
almost one foot per day during periods of high rainfall, when water
table elevations have been observed to increase by 50 percent or
more above long-term- average values. Residence irimes for
groundwater within the study area range from several Dears near
Mattituck Creek, to a century or more near the divide in Cutchogue.
Water Supply - Only one public water supply well field, Greenport
247
Water District's Plant 7 on Ackerley Pond Lane, is located within
the boundaries of the study area. Almost all the pumpage from this
field is utilized and discharged outside to the east of the SGFIA.
The 90' well at Plant 7 has been in operation since 1980. Maximum
pumpage occurred in 1986, when 118 million gallons were withdrawn -
- an average of 225 gpm, compared to the authorized capacity of
400 gpm. A second 400 gpm well, with a depth of 81' was recently
installed. A new well field (Plant 12), with a 90' 500 gpm well,
is proposed for Kennys Road, just east of the SGPA boundary.
Agricultural. pumpage represents by far the largest consumptive
use of the study area's groundwater resource. Using the
Cooperative Extension Service estimated unit pumpage rate of 0,.14
million gallons per acre per year for irrigation of mixed vegetal Dle
crops, approximately 335 million gallons per year area applied to
the 2400 acres of cropland within the SGPA. This volume of water
equivalent to about 20 percent of average annual recharge to •the
3,000 acre study area or about one percent of the groundwater
stored beneath it.
Water Quality - Agricultural chemicals have contaminated
groundwater throughout much of the horizontal and vertical extent
of the aquifer below the study area. These chemicals include the
inorganic constituents of fertilizers (e.g., nitrate, sulfate,
chloride) and various organic pesticides, including carbamates
(aldicarb, carbofuran) and 1,2-dichloropropane used on potato
crops. The impacts of these chemicals on the aquifer are reflected
in the quality of numerous shallow private wells, Greenport Water
248
0
District supply wells at Plants 7 and 12, and SCDHS monitoring
wells, including deep profile wells along Depot Lane.
Fertilizer contaminants can be found throughout the vertical
extent of the aquifer system. Fertilizers have been used for many
years. Their inorganic constituents are mobile and unreactive.
Nitrate concentrations in agricultural areas frequently exceed the
10 ppm drinking water standard, and are occasionally as high as 20-
30 ppm. Concentrations at Greenport' -s Plant 7 wells have remained
just below the 10 ppm standard, while the test wells at the Plant
12 site range from 5.7 ppm to 9.8 ppm.
Elevated chloride and sulfate concentrations are usually found
in association with elevated nitrates. But neither constituent is
considered a health threat. Nor are they often found to approach
their respective drinking water standard (250 ppm). Typical
chloride and sulfate concentrations are on the, -order of 30-50 ppm,
but both occasionally occur in the 100-150 ppm range or higher.
.Pesticide contamination is also widespread within 1:he study
area. Pesticides such as aldicarb, carbofuran, and dichlopropane
have proven to be very mobile and unreactive as they move through
the aquifer. While the maximum concentrations decrease due to
dispersion in the water, the total mass of contamination is not
reduced by biodegradation, absorption, or other processes. For
example, aldicarb has been detected in about 20% of the samples
from East End private wells since monitoring 'began in 1980 and,
while the average concentration of positive samples has decreased
from 25 ppb in 1980 to 12 ppb in 1988, the median value has
249
remained about 8 ppb over this time span.
On the average, 250 additional private wells or about 10% of
those sampled each year are found to exceed the 7 ppb drinking
water guideline for aldicarb. These wells are fitted with -carbon
filters that are supplied by the manufacturer. Since testing
commenced in 1980, the raw water quality in more than half of the
wells closest to farm fields, which were impacted by aldicarb
first, has improved to the extent that filters can be removed.
This trend should continue as aldicarb contamination moves auiay
from the areas of application.
Aldicarb concentrations at Greenport.'s Plant 7 (Well 7-1) have
consistently been close to or at the 7 ppb guideline, necessitatj,.ng
GAC treatment. Preliminary test results for Well 7-2 indicated no
aldicarb, while the test wells at Plant 12 detected 4 ppb of
aldicarb, but only at the shallowest depth (651). C
Given the relatively short period of time that aldicarb `ras
used, and the dispersion that has occurred, it is probable that
virtually all groundwater within the study area will be suitable
for drinking water purposes without the need for aldicarb treatment
within the next decade or two. The outlook for nitrate is -not as
clear, and will' depend, in large part on whether, future
agricultural practices in limiting nitrogen leaching from crops
such as potatoes, mixed vegetables, and sod are effective. 'rhe
ultimate potential for treatment -free water supply, however, :will
depend on whether additional problems arise .from past or future
pesticide use.
250
Am
Land Use - The Southold SGPA is first and foremost an agricultural
area. Nearly 72 percent of the total acreage is devoted to
vineyards, nursery/greenhouse operations, sod farms and crops.
Suffolk County and the Town of Southold have obtained the
development rights to 15 separate farm parcels encompassing a total
of almost 200 acres or a little less than one tenth of all
agricultural land within the SGPA.
Approximately ten percent of the land is used for low and
medium density residential development at scattered :Locations
throughout the area.. Only one percent of the land is dedicated
open space; however, some nine percent of the SGPA remains vacant.
A little more than six percent of the acreage consisting of
roads and the Long Island Railroad corridor, is used for
transportation. A few commercial uses -- generally located along
Route 27, Depot Land or Bridge Street -- together with a 'few small
industrial establishments and one institutional use occupy the
remainder of the area. See Table 49 for total acreage by'land use
category.
Zo_ - Virtually all -of the SGPA , is, zoned
agriculture/conservation, a category that allows single family
homes on lots of two acres or more. There are a few small tracts
zoned for homes on one .acre, three small business uses 'and, some
parcels zoned for light industry.
Problems and Concerns - Most local as well as bi-county concerns
relate to the difficult but not impossible problem presented by two
valid but somewhat conflicting goals; namely, the preservation of
251
Table49 Existing Land Use (acres) in the
Southold SGPA, 1989.
Total
2,940
* Column may not total 100.0 due to rounding.
Source: Long Island Regional Planning Board.
252
Existing
Percent of
Land Use Category
Land Use
Total*
Residential
308
10.5
Vacant
271
9.2
Underwater Land
- 1
0.0
Commercial
16
0.5
Industrial
13
0.4
Institutional
3
0.1
Utilities
185
6.3
Open Space
31
1.1
Agricultural
2,112
71.8
Total
2,940
* Column may not total 100.0 due to rounding.
Source: Long Island Regional Planning Board.
252
253
a viable agriculture and agricultural way of life and the
maintenance or improvement of the groundwater resource.
Owners of nearly half of the existing farmland have
established the Southold Agricultural District, which will remain
in place until 1995. There is concern that sooner or later some
of New York State's most productive farm soils, not only in the
Agricultural District but elsewhere in the SGPA, could be converted
to hoarse sites and other non-agricultural uses®
Advocates of farmland subdivision and conversion have, claimed,
with justification, that the use of fertilizers and pesticides have
degraded the groundwater. There is concern that some farmers will
continue to use agricultural chemicals as in the past, rather than
adopting the best management practices needed to protect
groundwater®
The Southold Town Landfill represents an...existing, documented
source of contamination that may or may not affect water quality
in the SGPA® The landfill in Cutchogue is located north of the
groundwater divide, just outside the study area boundary., Leachate
detected in groundwater on the -north side of the facility is
characterized by ammonia -nitrogen concentrations exceeding 100 ppm
and chloride concentrations on the order of 300 ppm. The extent
of the plume farther downgradient has not been delineated. The
landfill has been listed as a New York State Superfund site®
The Cornell University analysis of historic aerial photos
identified four disturbed sites within the study area boundary,
none of which are suspected of posing a significant threat to
253
groundwater. Evidence of dumping was seen only at the sand mine
site located south of Great Pond.
Finally, there are only a few remaining wooded parcels. These
parcels, which are extremely desireable for home sites, overlie
some of the best quality water in the Southold area. Development
rather than retention of woodlands as open space could preclude
their ultimate use as well sites.
Opportunities ® County and Town of Southold continuation of
farmland development rights acquisition programs could insure the
permanent protection of a considerable portion of one of the North
Fork's major assets. The zoning of farmland at one dwelling unit
per five acres, with an incentive for the transfer of development
rights to sites outside the SGPA or mandatory clustering at one
unit per five acres could facilitate the retention of farmland and
its continuing productive use.
residentialNew - _. m-nt could be limited to infilling in
hamlet,existing developed areas around Peconic, Cutchogue and just west
of Southold -
ssure on farmland.
The dissemination of up-to-date informationadoption
of best management practices could reduce reliance on fertilizers
groundwater.and pesticides, improve irrigation practices and lessen the threat
to .-variety cropscould
reduce the need for agricultural chemicals. See pp-® for, a
_ -III
` 1 111 . _ _
add to the open space while insuring the availability of suitable
254
A
well sites•at such time as they may be needed.
In order to provide for the water supply needs of the entire
Town, well sites will have to be established in the vicinity of
Laurel Lake, which is part of the Central Suffolk ,3GPA, and
eventually in the Southold area. Since so much of the: Southold
land is farmed at the present time, purchase of the few wooded
parcels in the Cutchogue area could provide some well sites that
have not been impacted by agricultural activities.
Recommendations
Suffolk County and the Town of Southold should continue to
purchase farmland development rights and to encourage and
facilitate other programs and measures to protect farmland, such
as renewal of Agricultural District agreements ;:and the
establishment of agricultural reserves.
Suffolk County should continue to support the: Cornell
Cooperative Extension Service efforts to introduce and to secure
adoption of best management practices for agriculture.
The Town of Southold should upzone farmland to require a five
acre minimum lot size but should provide for the transfer of
development rights to sites outside the SGPA at the 'currently
prevailing two acre density. In order to offset the impact of very
low density zoning, the transfer of development rights should be
permitted at the current two -acre density in the SGl?A areas.
Development rights could be transferred to sites in the vicinity
of the hamlet or along some of the Long Island Sound shore front,
255
where there is still an extensive amount of undeveloped land.
Suffolk County should utilize funds from its quarter percent C
sales tax program to acquire wooded watershed lands within the
Southold SGPA®
See Tables 50 and 51 for Plan Land Use acreage by category and
a comparison of existing and Plan Land Use. See Map 33 for the
location of Plan Land Uses.
256
Table 50 Plan Land Use (acres) in the
Southold SGPA.
No
* "Others" includes plan options, such as planned unit
development, landfill reclamation, relocation, etc., that
could not be assigned to a specific land use category.
** Column may not total 100.0 due to rounding.
Source: Long Island Regional Planning Board.
257
SGPA Plan Land
;Percent of
Land Use Category
Use
Total**
Residential
976
33.2
Vacant
0
0.0
Underwater Land
1
0.0
Commercial
15
0.5
Industrial
9
0.3
Institutional
.3
0.1
Utilities
188
6.4
Open Space
75
2.6
Agricultural
1,665
56.6
Others*
9
0.3
Tot
2,941
No
* "Others" includes plan options, such as planned unit
development, landfill reclamation, relocation, etc., that
could not be assigned to a specific land use category.
** Column may not total 100.0 due to rounding.
Source: Long Island Regional Planning Board.
257
Table 51
Existing and
Plan Land Use (acres)
in the Southold SGPA
I
I '
1989 Existing Land
SGPA
Change
(+ = gainn=;
Land Use
- = loss)
Land Use Category
Use
Plan Land Use
_
•
- 308
976
+668
Residential
271
0
-271
Vacant
1
1
0
- Underwater Land
16
15
-1
Commercial
•
13
9
-4
Industrial
•.
3
3
0
Institutional
185
188
+3
NX Utilities
Ln
00
31
75
+44
Open Space
Agricultural
2,112
1,665
-447
--
9
+9
Others*
Total
2,940
2,941
* "Others" includes plan options, such as planned unit developo a ment,landfillc land reclamation,
relocation,
etc., that could, not
be assigned
277
0,040402102P 0 0""
Am-
The previous chapters have identified a comprehensive set of
general and site specific issues designed to provide maximum
protection of the groundwater in SGPAs® This chapter provides more
detailed recommendations that have to be implemented if the goals
of the study are to be realized. The format is designed to provide
a clear statement of each problem followed by a recommendation for
an action or for a set of actions designed to resolve or mitigate
the problem..
Twenty-eight problems are identified. They generally can be
grouped into one of four categories; contaminant source reduction,
information and data systems, watershed management, and staffing
requirements®
CONTAMINANT SOURCE REDUCTION
Seventeen of the twenty-eight problem areas relate to the
reduction of contaminants to the groundwater. The topics range
from unpermitted discharges to storm drains and cesspools to turf
and agricultural management practices. The management of sewage
treatment facilities is discussed followed by two regulatory
programs, SEQRA and SPDES® The central portion of this section. is
concerned with cleanup options, such as, the collection and
disposal of hazardous wastes, C & D landfills and emergency
cleanups® The last section identifies problems of turf management,
agricultural practices, biological controls, fertilizer intensive
practices and greenhouse production.
LQ
259
Problems
Unpermitted discharges pose a major threat to the groundwater
resource. Suffolk County's DHS in its source monitoring program
clearly demonstrated that discharges of highly concentrated toxic
materials to on-site septic systems, unregulated injection wells,
storm drains or ground surfaces are a major concern.
Recommended Actions: -_
The Nassau County Department of Health and the Suffolk
County Department of Health Services should focus its .
regulatory efforts on industries within its database that
are known sources of contamination and are located in
geographic areas where the impact of discharges is most
significant, i.e., pollution sources in SGPAs.
The NYSDEC in cooperation with the Health Department
should develop a more comprehensive industrial discharge
and spill database that would facilitate essential, cost
effective monitoring.
qL Promote a bi®county policy of .waste reduction and
materials reuse to reduce the potential for accidental
spills or illegal discharge.
A
The Suffolk County Department of Health Services should
increase monitoring of discharges to septic 'tanks and
stormwater recharge basins located in industrial areas.
Based upon the review of the monitoring data, the SPDES
Permit System could be revised and expanded. Where
possible, this monitoring could be included under an
existing SPDES permit at the time of renewal.
Require sampling of soils following required
pumpouts of septic systems at existing industrial and
commercial facilities whenever analysis of the septage
for toxics reveals significant contamination.
If STPs within SGPAs carry the discharge to surface water to
locations outside of the SGPAs, then effluent that would otherwise
260
recharge the aquifer will be lost and the amount of water .sto'.red
in the aquifer will be reduced.
Recommended Action:
Insofar as possible, the loss of effluent should be offset by�
water conservation and enhanced stormwater recharge. The Countlies
and/or the water purveyors should promote and, if necessary,
require the adoption of water conservation measures, including ,the
use of water saving fixtures. See Appendix J for a discussion,of
conservation practices, water saving fixtures and regulatory
measures.
Municipalities should require the recharge of stormwater
runoff as close as possible to the point of origin. They should
also adopt DEC's recently prepared Stormwater Regulations. 'rhe
best management practices (BMP) developed by the LIRPB in the A]TJRP
study and the BMP Handbook relating to stormwater management should
also be fully implemented within.all SGPAs.
Problem:
Virtually no sewage treatment facility can be adequatialy
monitored for toxic or hazardous wastes that may enter its system.
Large STPs do not enforce pre-treatment regulations adequately.
Small plants have no way of preventing homeowners or businesses
from dumping inappropriate chemicals into the waste line. This is
predominantly a Suffolk County issue, especially in the Central
Suffolk SGPA..
Recommended Action:
No new STPs should be permitted in SGPAs unless they comely
261
11
the discharge with the criteria set forth in Chapter 2. The
Suffolk County Sewer Agency should initiate the consolidation of
existing sewer districts with the object of eliminating inefficient
or outdated STPs.
In Nassau County where all municipal STPs discharge -to surface
waters and in Suffolk County where discharge to surface and. to
groundwater, it is recommended that 201 -type studies be undertaken
to investigate the need for sewers in -developed areas within SGPAs
where the current density exceeds existing 208 study criteria and
there are demonstrated adverse groundwater impacts.
Problem:
Any action within SGPAs that could have a s�Lgnificant
environmental impact should be subject to stringent EIS
requirements.
Recommended Action:
An environmental impact statement shall be prepared pursuant
to SEQRA and Article 55 for any actions expected to have a
significant environmental impact within the SGPAs. Such a
statement shall meet the requirements of the most detailed EIS
required pursuant to SEQRA. Such EISs shall include a. detailed
statement of the effects of any proposed action on, and its
consistency with, the Comprehensive Management Plan of the Special
Groundwater Protection Area Program as approved by the Conunissioner
of DEC, pursuant to Article 55 of the ECL.
In order that the SEQRA process be improved from an
operational point of view the following twelve recommendations are
U-10
proposed:
1. All necessary steps shall be taken to assure that all
aspects of 6NYCRR 617 (SEQRA) are strictly and completely
adhered to.
2. Detailed reproducible maps and SGPA descriptions shall
be distributed to all governmental agencies and
jurisdictions that have an interest in or responsibility
for any activities or decisions within the SGPAs. In
addition, copies of the SGPA study shall be furnished to
all public libraries throughout Nassau and Suffolk
Counties.
3. The health agencies and-NYSDEC should provide lead
agencies with all appropriate data for any SEQRA process
involving hydrogeological review within SGPAs in their
respective jurisdictions.
4. A database shall be maintained at the LIRPB and the
Nassau County Planning Commission, the: health
agencies, Nassau County Department of Public Works and
the Suffolk County Water Authority to enable lead
agencies to consider cumulative impacts.
Countv Health Codes
5. All applications requiring approval by the county health
agencies and NYSDEC relative to waste wate'r.discharges,
realty subdivision approvals, or SPDES permits, shall,be
scrutinized by the, agencies to determine their
consistency with the SGPA management plan.
6. The lead agency shall determine that the discharge of
waste water and other contaminants for the property under
review will not be deleterious to other properties within
the SGPA.
7. The Nassau County Department of Health should not grant
waivers from Article X of the Nassau County Public Health
ordinance, and 6 NYCRR 5653.4 and 10 NYCRR S74
(relating to approval of realty subdivision) without
first determining the impact of the Proposed Action 'on
groundwater quality in each SGPA and finding that the
Proposed Action is consistent with the particular SGPA
Management Plan.
The Suffolk County Department of Health Services should
not grant waivers under 6 NYCRR S653.4 and 10 NYCRR S74
without making equivalent findings as set forth in #7
above.
263
Water Districts
8. The lead agency should apprise each water purveyor in an
SGPA of the SGPA Type 1/CEA classification for Proposed
Actions within its jurisdiction.
General
9. The Nassau and Suffolk Planning Commissions; and the
Suffolk County Pine Barrens Commission should assume
advisory roles in the SGPA implementation process
wherever appropriate.
10. SEQRA process should be required to use the
antidegradation goal of SGPA as the benchmark against
which an action will be evaluated.
11. Alternatives for review under SEQRA should include land
acquisition as one of the choices.
12. Infrastructure Projects - All infrastructure projects
(i.e. roads, transportation facilities, institutional
buildings and utilities with the exception of water
supply facilities) which could potentially increase
development within the SGPA should be given aL positive
declaration by the lead agency under SEQRA. A full
environmental review should be performed examining the
LC growth inducing aspects of each proposed projects. Each
proj ect should be reviewed for it's consistency with SGPA
plans.
Problem:
All municipal non-exempt, non Tyoe II actions, (unlisted
actions) occurring within Special Groundwater Protection Areas are
legally Type I actions. Most agencies do not handle such actions
in SGPAs as Type I actions in the SEQRA review process.
Recommended Action:
The L.I. Regional Planning Board and affected water utilities
should be considered interested agencies pursuant to SEQRA. They
should receive copies of EAF's prepared for all projects within
Special Groundwater Protection Areas. The L.I. Regional. Planning
264
Board shall notify all local governments of any plans that are not
ldpl-
in conformance with the Special Groundwater Protection Area Plan.
Either the State Legislature and/or NYSDEC should amend
current SEQRA requirements in order to allow some Type I projects
within SGPAs to be handled as conditional negative declarations,
provided there is clear and ample evidence that the project will
not violate any of the measures recommended to protect groundwater.
Problem:
Although all of Long Island's groundwater has been classifLed
as G.A., and a policy of antidegradation has been established,
indicating that it should be considered for best usage, activities
have been allowed, that have resulted in contamination entering the
groundwater and precluding its best usage.
Some contamination of the groundwater has been caused by
violations of SPDES permits, while other contamination may have
resulted from permitted activities that allowed the discharge of
contaminants in concentrations that exceed the State Health
Department's current maximum contaminant levels, (MCLS). Drinking
water standards or MCLs have become more restrictive, e.g., the
reduction of VOC levels from 50ppb to 5ppb for some constituents.
However, SPDES permits, which are issued for a five year period,
may be slow to reflect the new standards.
Recommended Action:
The State and the County Health Departments should expand
SPDES monitoring and enforcement activities within SGPAs.
These agencies should also examine the existing industrial and
265 t
non -industrial permits for discharges located within the SGPAs and
kshould assess the need for changes in coverage or permit conditions
as necessary to assure groundwater protection.
Problem:
Non -industrial SPDES permits are not required to monitor their
domestic wastewater discharges for organic chemicals. In addition,
certain facilities that are not covered by SPDES permits, such as
small commercial establishments and --residences housing medical
practices, with discharges less than 1,000 gallons per day,, may
also be contributing to groundwater contamination.
Recommended Action:
Within SGPAs, require the pump -out and chemical analysis of
septic tank wastes according to the following schedule:
1) residential facilities with SPDES permits (i.e., multi-
family units) -- every three years.;
2) residential systems handling medical and other potentially
damaging wastewaters -- annually; and,
3) all commerical facilities -- annually.
Where problems are detected, require sampling of leaching
pools, and pump -outs and/or groundwter monitoring, if indicated.
Problem:
Chapter 662 .of the Laws of 1983 requires NYDEC to notify water
suppliers in the Sole Source Aquifer of any SPDES permit violation
occurring with 3 miles of their well. This law has not been
adequately complied with.
266
Recommended Action:
DEC
should publish
a report of any
substantive SPIES
C
violations
for Region I in
the Environmental
Notice Bulletin and
should send a copy to every water purveyor.
Problem:
Municipal programs for the collection and disposal of
hazardous products and product containers are lacking or in need
of expansion.
Recommended Action:
Nassau and Suffolk Counties should provide financial or other
assistance to municipalities to establish sites and ongo:ing
collection programs for the safe disposal of hazardous household
products and/or product containers. Suffolk County should consider
the establishment of a county site in addition to town locations.
Nassau County has already done this. County owned parcels acquired
through the purchase of tax liens should be evaluated and, where
appropriate, reserved for use as hazardous waste collection sites.
These properties should not be sold but should be transferred to
the municipality in which the land is located as authorized by
Section 72-h of the N.Y.S. Real Estate Law.
Both counties should also establish an educational program to
inform the public how to dispose of these products properly.
Consideration should also be •given to State -initiated incentives
for proper disposal, such as a deposit that would be refunded when
the items are surrendered to a collection facility.
Strict performance standards should be established and
267
34
enforced for the use, handling, storage and disposal of toxic
and/or hazardous materials. Equally strict standards should be
established for the siting of facilities that use such materials
so as to preclude and/or minimize their introduction into the
aquifer.
Problem:
This study recommends the curtailment of clean fill
construction and demolition debris (C&D) landfills in SGPAs and the
prohibition of new C&D landfills except in previously mined areas
where a properly designed site and carefully monitored disposal of
non hazardous C&D materials can be used to restore the land to an
acceptable grade. Although the current state requirements (Part
360-8) mandate that any clean fill landfill in the deep flow
recharge areas of Long Island must have a double synthetic liner,
this does not seem sufficiently protective for a disposal site
located within an SGPA.
Recommended Action:
The State should require that C&D landfills located within an
SGPA be double lined, with the primary liner being a synthetic
membrane, and the secondary liner being a composite liner. Primary
and secondary leachate collection and removal systems should be
constructed as part of the liner system.
Any clean fill landfill operated in an SGPA should have an
environmental technician monitoring the site during all hours of
operation. The monitor should be employed by NYSDEC but paid by
the permittee. The monitor would inspect all materials brought to
268
the facility, to ensure compliance with all permit conditions.
One way of ensuring compliance with permit conditions would
be to construct a presorting facility or building at the site where
C&D materials could be deposited for inspection. The inspectors
could separate out unsuitable materials that would have to be
disposed of elsewhere. The C&D operator should not accept any
shredded materials since it is not always possible to determine the
components of such material.
Problem:
Changes in the type of industrial or commercial activities
often result in changes in groundwater impacts. It is essential
that properly operated and maintained industrial and commercial
properties within SGPAs that and are not contributing to
groundwater pollution be maintained in similar fashion in the event
of a transfer of ownership or a change in tenancy. C
Recommended Action:
Each county health agency should require either the seller of
an industrial or commercial property or the lessee to provide a
site assessment that demonstrates and certifies that the property
is clean. If health department finds that cleanup is necessary,
the applicant should provide a plan indicating the nature, extent,
and timing of proposed cleanup activities.
Problem:
There is a need to expedite emergency cleanups of chemical
spills and provide compensation for third parties damaged as a
result of such spills.
E
Recommended Action:
Each county should establish a contingency fund for emergency
cleanups. In addition, county attorneys should be authorized by
the County Legislatures to initiate litigation to recover costs
from the responsible parties, and the County Comptrollers should
be authorized and staffed to assess claims.
Problem:
The use of agricultural chemicals to maintain tur;fgrass and
ornamental plants growing around homes, buildings, parklands and
golf courses may result in groundwater contamination. Excessive
or poorly timed applications can pose a threat to groundwater.
Recommended Action:
Municipalities should require a landscape management plan for
new business properties, single family homes, condominiums and
4r
apartment complexes calling for the use of lawn grasses and
landscape plants that require relatively small amounts of water,
fertilizer and pesticides. 35 In addition, encourage the use of
slow-release fertilizers for all lawn feedings. Retrain landscape
professionals and inform homeowners and lawn care products dealers
as to the use of best management practices.
Problem:
Agriculture is a vital segment of the economy of eastern
35 Petrovic, A. Martin. 1989. Golf course management and
nitrates in groundwater: the real story. Golf Course Management
57(9):54-64.
Petrovic, A. Martin. 1990. The fate of nitrogenous
fertilizers applied to turfgrass. Journal of Environmental Quality
19:1-14.
270
Suffolk County. Its continuance is strongly supported by local,
County and State programs and funding. However, past agricultural
practices related to fertilization, irrigation, and the use of
toxic and hazardous chemicals for pest control have contributed to
groundwater pollution.
Recommended Action:
ongoing programs that advocate reduced use of pesticides
should be continued. This would --include the screening of
pesticides for leaching potential in order to modify the chemicals
to minimize leachates. The State DEC should strongly encourage US
EPA to undertake better screening tests on crops grown on soils
similar to those on Long Island and to ban unsuitable pesticides.
Problem:
There is a need to place greater emphasis on the development
and use of biological controls for numerous pests. For example,
pheromone treated ties could be standard practice in vineyards to
prevent grape berry moth damage without the need for spraying.
Non -phytotoxic oils could control mites if applied early in the
season, thereby eliminating the need for insecticidal sprays on
woody ornamentals later in the season.
Recommended Action:
The United States Department of Agriculture should increELse
the number of Integrated Crop Management (ICM) pilot projects to
reduce the use of agricultural chemicals. Suffolk County and the
towns should mandate Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for all
future acquisitions of farmland development rights.
271 `
Problem:
Potato farming is fertilizer intensive.
Recommended Action:
The Cooperative Extension Service and other agricultural
agencies should encourage the shift from potato farming to other
crops that require lesser amounts of agricultural chemicals and
water. A positive action is the shift from potato farming to fruit
and horticultural production. Nitrogen loading can be reduced from
a high of 180 pounds per acre to 20 pounds by this change: in crop.
This shift has already resulted in a diminution of nitrates in
groundwater.
Problem:
Greenhouse production is water and chemical use intensive.
Recommended Action:
The design of greenhouse production systems should be: improved
so that chemical use can be more carefully monitored, and the
volume of leachate reduced and recycled.
INFORMATION/DATA SYSTEMS
This section is concerned with the need for an enhanced
set of public information programs and the creation of a center for
data research and management on groundwater and sources of
pollution.
Problem:
The general public and some government entities are often
unaware of what can and should be done to avoid groundwater
pollution from point and non -point sources.
272
Recommended Actions:
New York State, Nassau and Suffolk Counties, municipalities
C
and all water purveyors should provide informational materials that
describe methods for the elimination of non -point source pollution
and current methods of indoor and outdoor water conservation.
These materials should be distributed to homeowners, professional
horticulture groups, the landscape service industry, business,
civic organizations and governmental agencies. A mechanism to
provide "expert" speakers to interested groups should be expanded
(perhaps in conjunction with a Long Island "Water Resources
Institute"). See Appendix E for information on public education
programs conducted by Cornell Cooperative Extension, Nassau County
Department of Public Works and other agencies. Cornell Cooperative
Extension of Nassau and Suffolk Counties is a resource f or
information on the following topics:
proper fertilizer and pesticide use and disposal
household toxic product use- alternatives and proper
disposal
septic system maintenance
water conservation inside the home
water conservation in the landscape
protection of our water supply
proper disposal of automotive waste products
disposal of animal waste
Education is one of the most cost-effective methods to protect
groundwater. Several approaches can be undertaken or expanded
273
immediately. For example:
AV -
New residents receive "welcome" letters and packets from
government and local merchants. Information on water
protection could be included.
Water purveyors could send relevant information to
customers with each bill, as LILCO does on :matters of
energy conservation.
Towns could distribute such information at Tourn Hall and
include flyers in mailings to constituents.
The media could present public service 10spots" to keep
the issue of water protection before the public.
Local public and school libraries could expand their
educational role by having reference material available
for display and distribution.
Seminars should be given for the benefit of retailers
such as hardware stores, garden centers, auto repair and
auto supply shops, etc., to inform them of water
protection practices relative to the products they handle
or sell. Brochures could be distributed to purchasers
of such products as to proper use and disposal of these
materials. The seminars could be organized independently
or cooperatively by DEC, the health agencies, major water
purveyors, and the two county extension services.
Displays of water conserving landscapes should be
expanded and encouraged at all public sites.
274
S
Problem:
A complete, organized data management system for groundwater
quality and quantity does not exist, although several local
agencies do have significant G.I.S. systems available for their
respective areas.
Recommended Action:
A Groundwater Institute should be established on Long Islclnd
in cooperation with both Counties, all fifteen major
municipalities, the eighty-three water purveyors operating in
Nassau and Suffolk, and.NYSDEC and DOH. The Institute should have
two primary functions:
1. To assemble in one location, a complete data management
system pertaining to groundwater information and all
potential sources of contamination;
2. To establish a research agenda based on the needs of the
local governments and water purveyors of Long Island.
WATERSHED MANAGEMENT
The protection of wells and watershed lands constitute the key
topics of this section. The retention of existing open space and
the acquisition of additional properties are important methods for
securing suitable protected locations for future supply wells, and
also minimizing future sources of groundwater contamination. A
number of acquisition techniques are mentioned that include the u[se
of clustering and the transfer of development rights.
Problem:
Public Supply wells require maximum protection within the
275
A
immediate vicinity of the well field and, in the case of upper
glacial aquifer wells, within the zone of contribution as well.
This means that water purveyors must have all available information
on the source of water and its quality.
Recommended Action:
Additional monitoring wells should be installed in order to
map the source of water to glacial wells, as well as to document
existing and potential sources of groundwater contamination. This
effort should utilize the existing networks of monitoring wells to
the extent possible.
It is further recommended that a minimum of three wells -- one
upgradient, two downgradient -- be installed for every industrial
discharge location. The cost of drilling and monitoring these
wells should be borne by the discharger.
Work should be coordinated with the health agencies and DEC
to ensure up-to-date water quality data for suppliers. This
coordinated effort should allow the regulatory agencies to document
existing or potential sources of contamination, while allowing the
water suppliers to focus on the source of water to wells.
The State of New York, the Counties, and the localities should
enact laws or pass resolutions that will allow for the installation
-of public wells, where appropriate, on lands acquired for open
space or watershed protection, in order to provide the public with
the highest quality water supply at the lowest cost.
Within the SGPA, open space within clustered sub -division
should be dedicated to the municipality or the county. Where
276
I
appropriate this open space should also be available for water
supply purposes.
Wellhead protection, as described in the federal Safe Drinking
Water Act and the New York State Wellhead Protection Program, is
essentially a management program or plan designed to protect
groundwater resources that supply existing and future public supply
wells. This plan is an important component of wellhead protection
for existing and future public wells• -within the SGPAs and public
wells supplied by recharge coming from the SGPAs. In combination
with other important elements of wellhead protection, such as
Nassau and Suffolk County Sanitary Codes, DEC regulatory programs,
town ordinances, water supplier efforts, and land acquisition
programs, implementation of this plan will enable Long Island to
meet the wellhead protection requirements of the federal Safe
Drinking Water Act.
Problem:
Maximum protection of watershed lands within SGPAs can be
attained through permanent public open space acquisition programs.
Although a variety of techniques are available, ranging from
outright donation to the purchase of the fee simple, and including
a host of variations among them the transfer of development rights,
purchase of development rights, donation of scenic easements, etc.,
the bottom line is public funding. The recent defeat of the N.Y.S.
Environmental Quality bond Act, coupled with the State's severe
fiscal situation, mean that for the short term, the two counties
must rely on local funding if lands are to be acquired.
277
t
An
Recommended Action:
Suffolk County has already earmarked one-half of the estimated
revenues to be raised during this decade from a one-quarter cent
sales tax or approximately $300 million for open space purchases.
The other one-half of the revenues are to be used for a variety of
water -related projects. Nassau County, which has less than 1000
acres of undeveloped lands within SGPAs, has been acquiring open
space but does not have a dedicated- source of funding for open
space acquisition. It is recommended that Nassau County and its
municipalities expand the ongoing acquisition program in order to
save crucial parcels identified in this study, such as the recently
acquired Boegner Estate in Old Westbury and the Schiff property in
Oyster Bay Cove.
Problem:
A former Nassau County proposal to establish pumping centers
at Muttontown and Manetto Hills could cause significant waiver table
and streamflow reductions in Suffolk County that would impact the
deep recharge areas including nearby SGPAs.
Recommended Action:
The technical agencies involved, i.e., the two country health
departments, Nassau County DPW, SCWA, and NYSDEC should draft a bi-
county water development agreement to be ratified formally by the
two county legislative bodies.
Problem:
At the same time Nassau and Suffolk Counties and some
municipalities are purchasing open space, the State of New York and
278
various school districts are selling lands that should be retained
for watershed protection. C
Recommended Action:
The State of New York should refrain from disposing of the
open lands on its university and college campuses, mental hospitals
and other State owned sites. The retention of open land associated
with institutional uses provides opportunities for recharge, and
offsets the very intensive use of the developed portion of the
site.
The New York State Department of Education should prohibit
school districts from disposing of open, unused or buffer areas
while the sites are utilized for educational purposes. The DEC
should require school districts to protect the open status of the
undeveloped areas to the maximum extent feasible when the sites are
sold or leased for non -educational use.
The municipalities should utilize their police Dower
authority to enact land use controls that will facilitate
implementation of the following watershed protection policies:
Limit residential densities to five acres or more per
dwelling unit. In those communities where established
land use patterns' cannot support a five acre lot size,
steps should :be taken to upgrade the zoning wherever
possible to at least -one acre. In -filling should be
allowed on previously platted lots of less than two acres
where higher density development has already occurred.
279
Cluster units on one acre or on larger parcels, provided
provided the undeveloped portion of the parcel remains
in open space.
In the case of old filed maps with small lots in single and
separate ownership, the municipality or the county should attempt
to acquire and replat and retain as open space in order to maximize
ground -water protection. Restrict multi -family or condominium
development that exceed recommended single family residential
densities to those sites where connection to a sewage 'treatment
plant that maximizes SGPA watershed protection can be assured prior
to occupancy of any of the dwelling units.
Problem:
0-
p Current county health department standards allow for new
onsite sewer systems on one acre lots in unsewered areas.
Recommended Action:
The Nassau County Department of Health and the Suffolk
Department of Health Services should consider amending their
respective Sanitary Codes to increase the minimum lot size to two
acres for new onsite systems in unsewered areas whenever the onsite
system is located in Hydrogeologic Zone III or in a sparsely
developed portion of an SGPA in Hydrogeologic Zone I.
Problem:
The transfer of development rights is a cost effective way of
protecting environmentally sensitive lands such as Special
280
the overall
density or
average density of the
entire
parcel does
not exceed
one unit per five acres
and
provided the undeveloped portion of the parcel remains
in open space.
In the case of old filed maps with small lots in single and
separate ownership, the municipality or the county should attempt
to acquire and replat and retain as open space in order to maximize
ground -water protection. Restrict multi -family or condominium
development that exceed recommended single family residential
densities to those sites where connection to a sewage 'treatment
plant that maximizes SGPA watershed protection can be assured prior
to occupancy of any of the dwelling units.
Problem:
0-
p Current county health department standards allow for new
onsite sewer systems on one acre lots in unsewered areas.
Recommended Action:
The Nassau County Department of Health and the Suffolk
Department of Health Services should consider amending their
respective Sanitary Codes to increase the minimum lot size to two
acres for new onsite systems in unsewered areas whenever the onsite
system is located in Hydrogeologic Zone III or in a sparsely
developed portion of an SGPA in Hydrogeologic Zone I.
Problem:
The transfer of development rights is a cost effective way of
protecting environmentally sensitive lands such as Special
280
Groundwater Protection Areas. The primary obstacle to TDR has been
the fact that "receiving" areas are often not within the same
C
school district as the "sending" areas. Thus, one school district
loses a tax base and another one gains it.
Recommended Action:
Any plans to consolidate school districts to achieave
educational efficiency and cost savings should consider ways to
facilitate TDR. Wherever feasible, district boundaries should be
redrawn to facilitate use of this planning tool.
STAFFING REQUIREMENTS
This last section is an acknowledgement that implementation
cannot be successful without sufficient staff to carry out the
research, monitoring, regulation and enforcement called for in the
overall plan. The need for additional public funding at this
current time of serious fiscal crisis being experienced by the
state and all units of local government is recognized. Suggestions
are offered to ameliorate the budgetary shortages in order to
implement SGPA objectives. A table summarizing the various agency
responsibilities to manage the SGPA comprehensive management plan
concludes the chapter.
Problem:
Chapter 951 of the Laws of 1983 directed DEC to promulgate
regulations to restrict or prohibit incompatible uses in
hydrogeologic zones I - V. This has never been done. The reason
DEC has not implemented this law is that funding was not provided
to carry out the work.
e:
Recommended Action:
The State of New York should provide adequate funding to allow
DEC to fulfill the mandate. It is further recommended that in
promulgating regulations, the DEC should give first attention to
the protection of pristine, largely undisturbed or undeveloped
areas.
Problem:
New York State and County agencies -responsible for groundwater
protection and regulation on Long Island are inadequately staffed
to permit proper enforcement of existing laws --let alone permit
the assumption of additional assignments.
Recommended Action:
N.Y.S.D.E.C. and the two County Health Departments should
prepare budget requests for the 1992 budget year based on the
staffing, laboratory and operational expenses necessary to
permit adequate management of the SGPAs. They should also increase
interagency coordination and pool their resources in order to
minimize expenses and duplication.
Problem:
Although there is general agreement that the groundwater
should be protected, there is a significant mismatch between public
policies, governmental programming and budgetary allocations to
support the necessary research, monitoring and regulatory control.
Recommended Action:
Suffolk County should establish a dedicated fund for the
upgrading of existing STPs and for financing inspections and
282
enforcement actions. This fund could be financed through user
fees, activity
fees,
fines and surcharges. For example:
User fees
should
be charged for commercial/industrial use of
land located within the SGPAs. Fees could be justified by the need
for additional inspection and monitoring of commercial and
industrial properties.
Additional activity fees should be charged for the use of SGPA
related facilities, such as parks, golf courses, trails, etc.
Fines should be increased for failure to comply with all
substantive aspects of SPDES permits. Differentiation should be
made between paperwork violations and substantive violations that
pose an actual threat to the groundwater.
All new or changed commercial and industrial water services
and all cases of change in the ownership of commerical and
industrial properties should require prior site inspection by the
respective Health Departments: A reasonable fee should be charged
to help defray the cost of this inspection. A Certificate of
Compliance indicating that the new owner or tenant will be
operating in a manner that complies with existing regulations
should be submitted to the water supplier before the service will
be turned on.
Water suppliers should establish a dedicated fund for
watershed protection and source reduction programs. This fund
could be financed by a small surcharge on all water bills.
283
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SGPA CHART
KEY
1. SPDES permits
2. SGPA Watershed Rules & Regulations
3. NC Health Code Article X
4. SC Health Code Article VI
5. SC Health Code Article VII
6. NC Health Code Article XI
7. Local Zoning Codes
8. Standards and Guidelines
9. Amend Appropriate Law(s)
10. Solid Waste (Part 360) Permits
* Upzoning means reducing density
** Downzoning meansincreasing density
USEPA - United States Environmental Protective Agency
USGS - United States Geologic Survey
NYSDEC- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
NYSDOH- New York State Department of Health
NYSDOT- New York State Department of Transportation
NYSOPR- New York State Office of Parks and Recreation
LIRPB - Long Island Regional Planning Board
SCPBRC- Suffolk County Pine Barrens Review Commission
SCPARKS-Suffolk County Parks Department
SCDHS - Suffolk County Department of Health Services
SCPC - Suffolk County Parks Commission
SCDPW - Suffolk County Department of Public Works
NCDH - Nassau County Department of Health
NCPC - Nassau County Planning Commission
NCDPW - Nassau County Department of Public Works
287