Letters

On June 21, the Peconic Baykeeper joined fellow environmental leaders, labor unions, public officials, civic associations, and many others at the county offices in Riverhead to ask our Suffolk County legislators to put clean water on the ballot this upcoming November.

Up for their consideration are two resolutions, IR 1512 and IR 1573, that would form the backbone of the Water Quality Restoration Act if approved by voters in the November election. Combined, these resolutions would consolidate county sewer districts to create one unified and equitable district, extend the county’s Drinking Water Protection and Restoration Program through 2060, and create a ⅛ percent sales tax increase ($1.25 for every $1,000) that would be dedicated to wastewater infrastructure.

The vast majority of the ⅛ percent sales tax increase would be devoted to funding homeowner grants to help upgrade over 300,000 septic systems across the county that continue to pollute our drinking water, ponds and bays — the leading cause of the East End’s water quality issues.

While our local legislators seem to clearly understand the big picture and voted in favor of these resolutions, the majority of their colleagues did not. A failure by the Suffolk County Legislature to approve these measures at their next meeting on July 25 to get the Water Quality Restoration Act on the November ballot would deprive the county (and its residents) of billions of dollars in state and federal matching grants to support the clean water infrastructure that we all desperately need, while also hindering the sustainable source of funding needed to implement the Suffolk County Subwatersheds Wastewater Plan.

Most importantly, this would deny the electorate (you) the right to choose clean bays, clean drinking water, and the protection of the recreational and economic benefits that the county’s waters provide.

Please contact your county legislators to ask them for one simple thing: the right to vote for the Water Quality Restoration Act in November.

Pete Topping

Executive Director

Peconic Baykeeper

Southampton