Letters

This past weekend, Southampton Village welcomed Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, the spiritual leader of more than 200 million Eastern Orthodox Christians worldwide and a figure often called the “Green Patriarch” for his decades of global environmental advocacy.

Yet, as we honored a faith leader celebrated for environmental ethics, the village simultaneously discharged toxin-laden water from Lake Agawam through the ocean outfall pipe, contaminating the Atlantic Ocean and forcing the closure of Gin Lane Beach on two of September’s most beautiful weekends. Because warning signs were posted only near the parking lot — and not at the drain itself — families and pets unknowingly waded through green-brown water containing microcystin, a potent liver toxin produced by harmful algal blooms.

This is not an isolated lapse. Last year, the village opened the same drain during Labor Day week, almost certainly in violation of the federal Clean Water Act and New York State law by releasing nutrient-rich, toxin-bearing water without a permit. After pressure from environmental advocates, including the Peconic Baykeeper, the village finally obtained a discharge permit this year. But a permit merely prevents an outright legal violation; it does nothing to address the underlying pollution.

The science and solutions are well-known:

1. Reduce nitrogen loading. Replace aging septic systems with modern low-nitrogen technology. Advance a downtown sewer system. No public update has been given in more than two years.

2. Restrict fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides in the Lake Agawam watershed.

3. Construct wetlands at Pond Lane Park to remove thousands of pounds of nitrogen and hundreds of pounds of phosphorus annually.

4. Target phosphorus hot spots by limited dredging at the lake’s north end, where sediments contain heavy metals such as lead and arsenic.

Opening the drain on two dry, rain-free weekends was unnecessary and ill-conceived. Instead of celebrating the Green Patriarch with meaningful action, Southampton Village marked his visit by polluting the ocean and closing its own beaches, a stark emblem of the village’s failure to protect water quality.

The tools and the science are in hand; what is missing is the will to act.

Jesse Warren

Southampton Village

Warren is a former mayor of Southampton Village. Gin Lane Beach and Cryder Beach were closed during the week only — Ed.