Town code: Looming town ban on irrigation prompts some to install cisterns
Another 10,000-gallon cistern was buried underground for water storage and filled by an off-Island water supply two weeks ago in the Heights.
According to Town Board member Peter Reich, a cistern offers a way around the town’s upcoming ban on automatic irrigation with well water, which takes effect on September 1, 2013. Approximately 15 people have applied for cistern installation permits since a town moratorium on new automatic irrigation systems that depend on well water went into effect in April 2002.
The law was adopted by the Town Board during a time of drought, with water tables dropping in the Island’s fragile sole-source aquifer, causing salt-water intrusion in low-lying shoreline areas. Some people’s wells became unreliable during the drought.
Costs for delivery of a cistern run around $20,000, which does not include unloading, burying, fill removal and gravel installation. The ongoing expense of water delivery from off-Island can reach $30,000 annually for a large property. Cisterns are allowed with proper setbacks and a minimum capacity of 8,000 gallons, according to William Banks, town building inspector and zoning officer.
The automatic irrigation ban, according to town code, was necessary because “Shelter Island has only one freshwater aquifer from which to draw its groundwater, as it is cut off from fresh groundwater inflow from adjacent areas of the East End of Long Island. In addition, Shelter Island is low in topography, resulting in a shallow water table.”
The ban should come as no surprise to homeowners who have installed an irrigation system with proper permits since March 1, 1996, when permits began to be required. A 10-year period began in March, 2003 to allow residents to amortize any investment they may have made in a system. According to Mr. Banks, there will be homeowners who haven’t paid attention and will be surprised, and those who will be unhappy that they need to retrofit their current irrigation system if they want to continue irrigating their properties after next season.
“The aesthetic goals of irrigation can also be achieved by the use of native or drought tolerant plants,” according to the town code. Using plants adapted to the local climate requires less watering, and native plants also do not require pesticides and fertilizers to thrive, according to Cindy Belt of the Nature Conservancy’s Mashomack Preserve.
Mr. Reich said that he hoped not too many residents truck in water from off the Island. “If we’re taking water from a source other than out of the Island’s ground, the water table will rise,” he said. Mr. Reich said he had concerns about increased flooding during wet seasons if too much water is imported.
