Letters

We all depend on clean water — every family, every business owner, every plant and animal. For too long, nitrogen pollution has been contaminating our waterways, our bays and harbors, and our drinking water. Scientific research shows the primary cause of the county’s poor water quality, harmful algal blooms and damaged wildlife habitat is nitrogen pollution from septic systems.

Thanks to a decade of federal, state and local leadership, we’ve made significant progress to reduce nitrogen pollution. But to successfully bring clean water back, a countywide effort is needed, with a dedicated and sustainable funding source for infrastructure upgrades, so nitrogen pollution cannot damage local streams, our bays and harbors, or drinking water.

The best way to do this is by letting Suffolk County residents vote to create a Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Fund. Financed by an eighth of a cent increase in the county sales tax, the funding would eliminate 360,000 polluting wastewater systems over time by connecting homes and businesses to sewers, where appropriate, and installing clean water septic systems in the less urban parts of the county.

Doing this first requires state leaders to include the Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Act in their budget proposals. And that’s exactly what the State Senate and Assembly just did. If the act is included in the final state budget, Suffolk County voters then will get the chance to approve a stable and recurring revenue source to drastically reduce nitrogen pollution and restore clean water countywide. This, coupled with other federal and state funds, would scale up pollution reduction outcomes dramatically.

We, along with our numerous other environmental, business and community partners, have worked nearly 10 years to get to this moment. We thank our Senate and Assembly leaders for including this important legislation in their budget proposals.

Now, we need the governor and the legislature to assure that it is included in the final budget so Suffolk County residents have the right to vote to bring clean water back.

Robert S. DeLuca

President

Group for the East End

Kevin McDonald

Policy Advisor, Long Island

The Nature Conservancy