Shelter Island water committee forum compared options —  some attendees voiced objections

It was posted as a forum to provide a comparison between private and public water systems, including costs involved with each.

But after Water Advisory Committee (WAC) member Andrew Chapman presented his information at the Oct. 9 forum at the Center Firehouse, he was lambasted by several of the approximately 30 attendees for pushing for the Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA) to take over water distribution on the Island.

That he hadn’t done that seemed irrelevant to his critics, who seemed to object to cost comparisons that showed similarities in the two alternatives. His message was to use other factors in evaluating choices.

When Mr. Chapman was appointed by the previous administration to serve on the WAC because of his professional experience in dealing with water quality, he said former supervisor Gerry Siller asked him what he thought the Town should do to deal with the Island’s water issues. He said his response was, “It’s really complicated” and he could offer no easy solution.

Factors to be considered are ensuring water quality means potable water as defined by New York State standards. The approach being pursued by WAC is to gather as much data as possible, identify and evaluate the information and recommend solutions. The committee has been pushing for more widespread water testing.

Mr. Chapman outlined what’s involved for those who choose to manage their own private wells and those who prefer a community water system.

The private well option needs:

• Annual water testing and development of mitigation efforts to deal with results.

• Replacing water filters on a recommended schedule.

• Arranging for a system maintenance contract.

• Maintaining and purchasing well equipment.

• Installing a point of use faucet system for water used to drink.

The community water service option needs:

• Selecting a manager who takes on the responsibility for service and reliability and future water quality based on federal, state and county compliance.

• Cost and system decision-making authority turned over to the manager’s responsibility.

• Leaving space for natural aquifer decontamination options.

There are factors that come into place with each option. For private wells maintained by property owners, sufficient hydraulic capacity to meet household needs must be provided; recognition that a well has a 20-year lifespan before it is likely to need replacement; and recognition that a regular septic system can be used without the need for an I/A system that would require a separate drainage field.

For a community water service option, a house would have to be within 150 feet from the street.

The outline of those options is in the slide presentation available on the Town website at shelterislandtown.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1466.

There’s no such thing as “pristine” water, Mr. Chapman said. Testing is critical to determine the nature and levels of contaminants in water that need to be treated whether water comes from a private well or through a system such as SCWA operates in the West Neck Water District and the Village of Dering Harbor, or a system in Shelter Island Heights.

The United States Geological  Survey (USGS) has long provided readings on the Island relating to water quantity, but information is needed on quality.

The question for property owners is how much responsibility they want for their private wells with testing and choices of remediation to ensure their water is potable. If they prefer to handle the responsibility themselves, that’s viable. But if they don’t want the responsibility, they can relegate the responsibility to an organization such as SCWA, he said.

In that case, SCWA has the responsibility for ensuring water is potable. But, of course, that means paying for the management the company renders. Mr. Chapman pointed out the decision to bring in SCWA in any area requires at least 40% of residents in a neighborhood to request the company manage their water.

As for a community water system throughout the Island, Mr. Chapman called it “a straw man” that is not being proposed.

What’s the relationship between septic systems and potable water? a questioner wanted to know. No matter what effort a property owner makes about water delivery — a private well or a managed water system — and no matter what decision is made about handling septics, it’s going to take decades to clean up the aquifer, Mr. Chapman said.

He pointed out the I/A systems installed at Shelter Island School and those that will be installed to treat wastes as part of the library’s expansion project are only capable of lowering nitrate levels. If other contaminants are found, the systems would have to be retrofitted to deal with those.

Town Engineer Joe Finora advised that not all contaminants come from septic issues.

Greg Nissen, whose Mermaid Water Solutions collected samples for water testing of Center residences, told the group that, while there are pockets on the Island where there are problems, overall Island water is very good. He said companies like his represent a middle road between self-management of a property owner’s well and SCWA.

Mr. Chapman acknowledged his study had not included that middle road.

One absolute for Mr. Chapman is that doing nothing is not an option. It’s vital to have water tested to determine if any treatment is needed and, if so, to decide on what method is most palatable to property owners.

Following the two-hour forum, WAC Chairman Peter Grand recommended “a hybrid approach” and advised families with tests showing immediate concerns should consider private filtration options.

“In some areas we can consider small local systems to protect community health, clearing the way for in-place wastewater treatment to avoid future harm to the aquifer,” Mr. Grand said.