Letters

At last week’s Southampton Village Board meeting, Dr. Chris Gobler presented alarming data from his 2024 sampling. Out of over 300 water bodies tested across New York State, Lake Agawam recorded the “high mark for blue green algae,” resulting in dense and toxic algae bloom levels. Dr. Gobler aptly stated, “Not to be too dramatic, the concept that comes to mind is a clear and present danger.”

He is absolutely correct.

These disturbing results come just weeks after the village released water from Lake Agawam, now contaminated with algal blooms producing the toxin microcystin, into the ocean at Gin Lane Beach. The Environmental Protection Agency warns that microcystin can harm the liver if ingested and is potentially carcinogenic. Worse, the village released this toxin without closing the beach or putting up appropriate signage.

It should come as no surprise that Lake Agawam has returned to one of the worst water bodies in the state, as the village has reversed or canceled many clean water initiatives. On a neighboring water body, the village applied slow-release nitrogen-based fertilizer pellets to the shoreline and removed vital vegetation — actions taken without a Department of Environmental Conservation permit and in violation of an existing permit.

Efforts to design and install two engineered constructed wetlands have been halted, and a dredging project has been discontinued. Most critically, delays in installing the algae harvester, a project piloted in 2019 with the DEC and funded with $10 million of federal and town grants, have pushed the timeline beyond spring 2024, the launch date noted on the Lake Agawam Conservancy website, missing another algae bloom season.

The village’s strange decision to put this village matter on the ballot for town voters in Riverside, Westhampton and Sagaponack, etc., to decide also has hindered progress.

To restore Lake Agawam for all village residents, a long-term plan is essential. The village should implement the 2017 Gobler Lake Agawam Plan, the 2020 DEC Harmful Algae Bloom Plan, and the 2021 NPV Village Wide Water Quality Plan. This involves eliminating or mitigating all nitrogen and phosphorus sources and preventing further inputs.

A downtown sewer system, which accounts for only 20 percent of the nitrogen, according to the 2017 Gobler study, is not enough. We must eliminate runoff and fertilizers (12 percent nitrogen), remove sediments from the lake bottom (14 percent nitrogen and 76 percent phosphorus), and address the largest nitrogen source: septic systems of homeowners in the watershed area, which contribute 49 percent of the nitrogen.

Dr. Gobler’s statement that Lake Agawam’s recent bloom is a “clear and present danger” should be a wakeup call for the current board. Decisive and bold action, requiring real political courage, must be taken immediately.

Jesse Warren

Southampton Village

Warren is a former mayor of Southampton Village — Ed.