County rep encourages I/A systems: Policies aim to increase aid to residents

Shelter Island is in the highest priority area in Suffolk County to fund improved septic systems because of its shallow aquifer and  heavy reliance on private wells, according to Julia Priolo, principal environmental analyst for the Suffolk County Department of Health Services.

Ms. Priolo spoke at the Nov. 19 Town Board work session outlining information about septic systems, grants and a host of technical information dealing with various types of allowable systems.

There are 250,000 cesspools in Suffolk still in use despite the county banning their installation in 2019, or 1.5 million people without sewers throughout the county, Ms. Priolo said.

“Cesspools are little more than holes in the ground that discharge raw untreated human waste and can contaminate our surface and groundwater,” she said. “There really were no standards associated with them.”

Conventional septic systems are made up of a septic tank and leaching system — piping for effluent to seep into soil — that are “minimally compliant” with county standards, Ms. Priolo said. The Innovative/Alternative (I/A) systems in use as upgrades reduce up to 70% of total nitrogen before discharge, Ms. Priolo said, noting there are about 5,000 I/A systems installed in Suffolk County.

Grants have been available from the county, New York State and some municipalities, including Shelter Island. The money is being made available to help increase installation of more  I/A systems.

Ms. Priolo acknowledged that grants don’t cover all costs, including the need for some property owners to move wells, and for landscaping after systems are installed.

The county also requires those who install I/A systems to produce an annual maintenance contract.

Ms. Priolo outlined types of systems eligible for grants and efforts the Department of Health is making to increase staffing to ramp up funding for I/A systems for county residents.

At the end of her presentation there were queries from several attendees at the meeting. One questioner asked if a single I/A system is sufficient for a residence. Ms. Priolo responded that one I/A system for a parcel is likely to be sufficient. But use could require a design that included a second system.

Another resident wondered if major elements of the presentation could be reduced to a four-page brochure. That seems unlikely.

A question was posed about a grant program to serve commercial operations that want to install an I/A system. Currently, the program is designed to serve residential property owners, although Ms. Priolo’s response of “not yet” left open the possibility the current effort could expand in the future.

Angelo Piccozzi, who has opposed the Town Board considering a requirement for installation of an I/A system upon transfer of a property under most circumstances, asked if there might be money for reverse osmosis systems that don’t necessarily have to serve all water in a house. They are often attached to specific areas, such as a kitchen where residents are most apt to get drinking water.

They aren’t funded, Ms. Priolo said.

“Money doesn’t fall out of the sky,” Mr. Piccozzi said, referring to the cost of I/A systems.