News

Dering Harbor: Federally mandated stormwater program explained

Town Attorney Laury Dowd was first up on the Village of Dering Harbor’s Board of Trustees meeting agenda last month, invited to discuss a federally mandated program known as “MS4” to prevent stormwater runoff from polluting the Island’s waterways, particularly Dering Harbor.

The village, represented by resident Bridg Hunt, has been working with the town to determine how the village can comply with MS4 mandates, which are administered through each state. As part of the process, at their March meeting, the trustees adopted two new village laws to prohibit illegal dumping into the storm sewer system and to regulate stormwater management in general.

At the Saturday morning, May 20 meeting, Ms. Dowd distributed information about how residents could curb polluted runoff, as well copies of a presentation she made to the Town Board in February, outlining the pollution impact of development on waterways and a number of techniques to reduce runoff. She noted the importance of legislation that will require sites under construction to have plans in place for mitigating run off.

Her presentation was followed by a brief report from Mr. Hunt on his meeting with two consultants for the Peconic Estuary Program (PEP). They toured the village on a recent rainy day, noting a number of locations where water was pooling. The next step, Mr. Hunt said, will be to identify “the most needy” areas.

Not all solutions to reduce runoff are feasible, Mayor Tim Hogue noted. A dry well on Shore Road, for example, where water pools, is impossible to install given the shallow water table. The village will need to look at other solutions, he added.

OTHER BUSINESS

The board briefly touched on these topics:

• Elections: Village voting for two seats on the board will take place at Village Hall on June 21 from 12 noon to 9 p.m. Incumbents Richard Smith and Heather Brownlie have submitted nominating petitions and will stand for re-election unopposed.

The mayor will ask Esther Hunt and Marion Brownlie to serve as poll watchers.

• Parcells well request: Mayor Hogue referred to a 2007 local law requiring property owners to install a well to provide water for any exterior sprinkler or watering system, avoiding a drain on water from the village’s public water supply.

Patrick Parcells had previously submitted a proposal for installing a well on his property and it was approved unanimously at Saturday’s meeting. Mayor Hogue said this was the first application to be brought to the board since the law was enacted.

At the organizational meeting in July, he recommended that the board review the fees involved in the well permitting process.

• 10K Run: The board unanimously approved the route through the village that the 10K organizers have traditionally mapped out, providing applicable insurance coverage was in place for the June 18 10K run.

• Village cocktail party: It was agreed to hold the annual village party for all residents on June 25 from 5 to 7 p.m. in Village Hall.

• Julia Dodd Culvert: Plans are moving “at a snail’s pace,” the mayor said, and it was likely that work will not begin on the culvert until after the 10K race on June 18.

The next meeting was set for Saturday, June 18 at 9 a.m., the board’s summer hours.

The board adjourned to go into executive session to discuss pending litigation.