Dry weather poses fire danger for Shelter Island: Committee seeks water conservation

The Island appeared earlier this year to be hitting record numbers for rainfall, but all has gone south with only 0.18 inches of rain in October and the lack of rain in much of November.

The Island classifies its drought status as “Moderate,” and that hasn’t changed despite the dry period in the last month and a half, according to Water Advisory Committee (WAC) member Ken Pysher.

Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has declared a statewide “drought watch,” which is the first level of a government’s water conservation declaration; there are no mandatory water restrictions, but residents are encouraged to conserve water voluntarily.

Government agencies also begin to plan for reducing water consumption.

The WAC isn’t calling for any mandatory restrictions on water use ­— at least not yet. But with the news shared at Monday afternoon’s meeting, Town Engineer Joe Finora said the risk of fires has become greater.

He called for an educational outreach to residents about the fires in numerous areas of New York State and other northeast communities.

Some residents seem oblivious to the fire risk and are more concerned about having a green lawn even as the transition from fall to winter is only weeks away, Deputy Supervisor Meg Larsen told the committee.

Because of the dry conditions, the four largest test wells — Congdon, Manwaring Road, Goat Hill and Manhansett — have seen their water levels drop, said Greg Toner, who monitors numbers for the Island’s 13 test wells.

The test well at Goat Hill saw a foot-and-a-half drop in its water level in October, he added. At the same time, he said its reading was close to the median value for that month.

Mr. Pysher, a Silver Beach resident, noted there were shallow water readings in wells in that area.

Signage outside Police Headquarters warns of the fire danger, and WAC member Lisa Shaw said she will request similar signage at the Center Firehouse.