Riverhead officials are moving forward on the idea of sewering the South Jamesport area, first proposed by Supervisor Sean Walter last month following the massive fish kill in the Peconic River and Flanders Bay.
The town board Tuesday authorized a consolidated funding application for the state grant funds to support a wastewater infrastructure feasibility study for the South Jamesport area.
At a June 20 press conference called by Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone at the Riverhead Yacht Club, Walter said he intended to ask the town board to pursue providing municipal sewage treatment to the Aquebogue/South Jamesport area.
Nitrogen from residential septic systems makes its way to groundwater and then to the surface waters of the river and bays. High nitrogen levels are primarily responsible for harmful algal blooms and also deplete dissolved oxygen in the water. Dissolved oxygen is necessary to sustain marine life. Scientists found dissolved oxygen levels at or near zero in the Peconic River and western Flanders bay last month when hundreds of thousands of dead menhaden, or bunker, washed ashore. There were at least two harmful algal blooms found in water samples taken by researchers just before and during the fish kill.
“Nitrogen is water public enemy number one,” Bellone said at the press conference. “Every water body in our region has been declared an impaired water body. That’s not sustainable for our region. We cannot have a vibrant future, we cannot have sustainable growth if we are not protecting our water.”
The county executive said he would be asking the federal government to make significant infrastructure investments to improve the Peconic Estuary, one of only 28 designated estuaries of national significance.
Walter said he was not sure whether it was more feasible to run a sewer line to to the town’s existing wastewater treatment facilities in Riverhead — which would have to be expanded — or to build a new facility in the area to be served. That will be part of the feasibility study, he said.
The supervisor said the deputy commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation had called him to suggest that Riverhead apply for the grant.
Jamesport-South Jamesport Civic Association president Angela DeVito said she hopes the town’s grant application is approved and urged the town board to “include community advisory boards” in the process.
“Public participation is important,” DeVito said.
“We will get the public involved right from the beginning,” Walter responded. “There is great concern in our community about water quality and I’m encouraged that we can begin talking about sewering. If community is not involved from the beginning it won’t go anywhere,” he said.
“This is going to be a very long process.”
The grant application is due July 31.
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