Town water committee has drought worries
“We are nervous.”
That was Water Advisory Committee (WAC) member Greg Toner speaking at the committee’s Feb. 3 meeting about numbers currently available for test well levels on Shelter Island.
Mr. Toner has long been tracking monthly numbers provided by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Unlike previous years, when January was a month for recharging the well water levels, this year, “We’re going down … There’s something strange happening here,” Mr. Toner said.
The recharge is affected by the frozen ground this year, Town Engineer Joe Finora said.
That the Island is heading into planting season is an issue, WAC Chairman Andrew Chapman said.
Member Peter Grand said the committee needs to find a “gentle way” to foreshadow what could be ahead for warmer months. Government bureaucracy is slow to act, he said. Educating the public is critical, member Sean Davy said. Once February numbers are in, the committee will revisit a possible action plan based on the latest readings from the USGS.
The WAC role is to recommend what steps its members think necessary, while the Town Board makes the final decision about whether to set any regulations on water use and, if so, what those restrictions should be.
Salt water intrusion
Working with the USGS, the Town will be getting more information than it has previously been on tracking salt water intrusion into some Island wells.
Mr. Finora told WAC members he expects some results this month on the extent of what’s called “vertical salinity,” referring to how salt concentrations differ depending on the depth in which salt is found in water. Colder regions tend to reveal higher levels of salt concentration, while the salt concentration is generally lower in areas where temperatures are high.
Center water testing
Since the Town Board approved $25,000 to pay for renewed water testing in the Center triangle, outreach has gone out to residents in three zones of the area to participate in the more expansive testing for contaminants. The original testing was focused on nitrates in the water while the new tests will concentrate on what is known as “Emerging Contaminants,” or synthetic or naturally occurring chemicals — including PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), pharmaceuticals, and microplastics.
Mr. Finora will select homeowners for the testing, and if any prefer not to participate, he will select substitutes. Those who participate will have to pay the $100 fee for the Suffolk County Department of Health Services Water Division to collect the samples for testing. But once the Town receives word a test is complete, the property owner will be reimbursed the money paid to the County.
Other residents, who have had their water tested on their own and shared results with the Town, are helping to reveal areas throughout the Island that may have water contamination, and those that do not.
Mr. Finora encourages more residents who have had their water tested to share results with the Town.
As for the tests being undertaken in the Center, the residents will get full results, but Town officials will only reveal general results for the area, not specific properties.
