Water Committee gets update on projects
Water Advisory Committee members got updates on three major initiatives affecting water quality and septic systems at Monday’s meeting.
After months of discussions with the Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA) and working out contract details, the West Neck Water District Board (WAC) is nearing a final deal for management of its system.
There are final issues to be worked out with the contract, said Lisa Shaw, a WAC member. Town Attorney Stephen Kiely has been working on some contract language with SCWA Chief Legal Counsel Timothy Hopkins.
At the same time, Deputy Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams has come up with options to assist ratepayers with their costs, and $1.7 million they need to spend on infrastructure improvements before the SCWA takes responsibility for the system.
Center wastewater project
With respect to the Center wastewater project, Town Engineer Joe Finora said officials are exploring a couple of options and predicted a decision could be reached shortly on what to recommend. He didn’t spell out the options, but since the Community Preservation Fund Advisory Board and neighbors of the Klenawicus Airfield raised major objections to a treatment system being placed at the site, other possible locations have been explored.
Mr. Finora has been firm in saying the Klenawicus site was the best option because it would afford add-ons to the system to treat other contaminants besides nitrogen, and could be expanded to serve other areas of the Island.
But the objections were strong, sending Town officials back to working with consultants Lombardo Associates for alternative areas.
Fresh Pond
Lombardo Associates has produced a report recommending means to deal with contaminants affecting Fresh Pond. The choices have been narrowed to two alternatives — oxygenation, or withdrawing and filtering pond water.
WAC Chairman Peter Grand, who is also the chair of the town’s Fresh Pond Remediation Committee, said that the committee had made a clear choice that filtration was better since it would remove accumulated phosphorous in the sediment that is the primary cause of harmful algal blooms.
This option would require an appropriate parcel of land, and the committee is exploring private options to avoid the use of CPF property at Turkem’s Rest for recharge, if possible.
It would require a below ground recharge site, and Mr. Grand said he understood the concerns the CPF Advisory Board has, but doesn’t yet know if it will be possible to secure access to a private site.
Oxygenation is not preferred by the committee because it would only temporarily suppress harmful algal blooms while it is running.
As soon as the equipment is removed or turned off, the blooms would return, Mr. Grand said.
