Letters

I am aware that the conversation about the potential of a distributed wastewater treatment system as an alternative to a centralized treatment system has been raised in several venues recently, including at the mayoral debate on June 6.

The alternative has been researched several times, both by the Planning Commission (when a former mayor and a current mayoral candidate were both members) and by the Clean Water Committee. This was a reaction to Suffolk County allowing individual properties to be “clustered” for wastewater purposes and connected to small treatment facilities.

The county’s intent was to make this available for office parks, industrial parks and other groupings of a small number of properties. Advocates have transposed this option into a belief that it could be used to service the village business district.

Our village urgently needs a wastewater solution. Much of the business district has aged cesspools, septic tanks and leaching pools. These do not meet current standards. The core of the business district has shallow groundwater, resulting in the need for constant pumping out and overflows at high tide or in storms. It has been estimated that nitrogen from sewage and wastewater within the business district represents 40 percent of the pollution in Lake Agawam.

There are in excess of 100 parcels in the proposed service area and a projected future flow of 198,000 gallons per day. A centralized system would collect all of the sewage and treat it at a plant that would be serviced by a third party and have a back-up generator in case of a power failure.

A decentralized system is impractical for the village business district. Multiple properties would have to be grouped and connected to small plants. Each small plant would need to be serviced and monitored by someone. Unless each has a backup generator, they would fail in a power outage.

Given the number of parcels and flow volume, you would need 20 or more plants. Each would have to meet setback and other standards. It is unclear how parcels that have extremely high water tables could be serviced. The cleanliness of the treated water would not match what can be achieved in a central facility.

After struggling for years to find a location that is available for purchase or acquisition and meet county standards, I find it hard to imagine finding 20 sites.

I understand the frustration with the long process of finding a centralized waste processing site. It has been made especially difficult by fear-mongering about fictitious smell, water quality and property value issues.

It would be much better if political leaders stood up and made a principled stand to solve the clean water issues and not be derailed by misinformation.

Paul Travis

Chair

Clean Water Committee

Village of Southampton