Town weighs rethinking ban on underground irrigation systems

Should a long planned ban on all underground irrigation systems that are not connected to a private cistern go into effect next September? At least one member of the Shelter Island Water Advisory Committee has some doubts.

Walter Richards told his colleagues Monday night at the committee’s meeting in Town Hall he thinks the 2003 Town Board did its job in limiting the use of automatic underground irrigation systems. But the law includes a 10-year timetable for a total ban on those without underground cisterns supplied by  off-Island water. It takes effect in less than a year: September 1, 2013.

Mr. Richards wondered if the ban, intended to protect the Island’s sole-source aquifer, is the wisest course of action. He wants more scientific data for the WAC to rely on in giving any advice to the Town Board on whether to actually implement the ban or amend the law to remove it from the calender.

If the WAC’s opinion is based on science, it’s better than anecdotal evidence, said Mr. Richards.

Supervisor Jim Dougherty, the Town Board’s liaison to the WAC, agreed that the 2003 Town Board — which acted at a time of severe drought and a falling groundwater level — was “visionary in doing what they did.” The current board, he added, is trying to make sure that the Island’s water supply remains adequate.

He said he had been meeting with hydrologist Drew Bennett and offered to include members of the WAC in those meetings.

Mr. Dougherty said he wants to be sure the Town Board is ready by next spring to begin the campaign to remind residents and business owners of the pending ban that will take effect September 1, 2013.

According to the town code, no permits for new irrigation systems were allowed after the Town Board banned them in 2003, except systems with cisterns fed by off-Island water. All such legally permitted irrigation systems, including those without cisterns that pre-dated the 2003 law, have been allowed to continue in operation to allow owners to amortize their investments. But as of September 1, 2013, no underground irrigation system is allowed except those that were permitted under the 2003 cistern rule.

A draft report written by WAC Chairman John Hallman dealing with the planned ban wasn’t made public Monday night. It was distributed to WAC members who were invited to comment on it, both at the meeting and between now and the October meeting.

Enforcement was raised as a concern. Without staff and procedures for inspection, a law requiring cisterns that will be filled by trucked-in water “could balloon into more of a problem,” Mr. Richards said. There are currently 128 legally licensed underground irrigation systems installed on the Island and about 20 that have no town license, Mr. Dougherty said. Most of the systems are installed in “the most vulnerable areas” of the Island, he said, where drought can lead to saltwater intrusion and wells that fail to deliver potable water.

But without proper inspections, there’s no way to assure that cisterns are being properly used and that they’re doing the job in terms of avoiding the use of groundwater to irrigate lawns and gardens, Mr. Richards said.

A possible alternative to the ban could be installing meters on every house and limiting allowable gallons of water that could be used, Mr. Hallman said.

Smart meters would be a good idea, Mr. Richards said. They detect outside conditions, keeping irrigation systems from running when water isn’t needed, he explained.

On another front, WAC member Ken Pysher provided statistics to the board on August readings that showed well levels had been trending downward through the summer but the threat to the aquifer ended with the arrival of fall, when there are fewer demands for water and natural evaporation rates decrease.

“We got through the summer; we made it another year,” Mr. Hallman said. He said he sometimes thinks Islanders are too focused on drought but committee members agreed they have to remain vigilant.