Letters

I have become increasingly disturbed by all the misinformation in several articles, Letters to the Editor and villagewide emails about beautiful Lake Agawam. Many false statements contained therein have now even been picked up by New York City and international publications, which has not been helpful to the reputation of our wonderful village.

It has recently been stated that our lake is the most polluted in New York State — which is simply not true. Clean water expert Dr. Christopher Gobler has said unequivocally that Lake Agawam is not the most polluted lake in the state, nor is it even the most polluted lake on the South Fork.

In fact, the water quality has been improving over the last few years, thanks to recent efforts to protect the lake, but there is still much to be done. Centuries of human habitation and development in the lake’s vast watershed have taken a terrible toll. I can remember fish kills and effluent in the early 1970s.

I can also recall a large drainage pipe at the Gin Lane beach during the same era, meaning that the lake-draining that has been done in the past few weeks after record rainfalls is not a new phenomenon and remains a necessary precaution to prevent hundreds of septic tanks from overflowing.

Concern about harmful elements in the lake water make brief beach closings a wise precaution. New signs at the affected village beaches inform beachgoers that there is to be no swimming when the pipes are open. That information is also on the village website. Tidal action and ocean currents quickly dilute the discharge and mitigate any danger.

Thanks to steadfast efforts of our elected village officials and staff, and the Lake Agawam Conservancy, we are making huge progress in cleaning up the lake for the first time in more than a century. In the not-to-distant future, periodic drainings of the over-full lake could introduce recreationally safe water into the sea off our beaches.

That progress is the real story, the real news.

Walter Deane

Southampton