State backs new limits on river protection

The State Senate voted Friday to expand protection of the Carmans River's watershed in the Central Pine Barrens, a victory for proponents of controlling development in the ecologically sensitive area.

The Senate vote, along with the State Assembly's approval Thursday, were unanimous.

The bill, which awaits Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's signature, amends the Pine Barrens Protection Act of 1993 by adding 1,100 acres with groundwater closest to the Carmans River to the section known as the Core Preservation Area.

That area has the strictest regulations, effectively preventing development over land deemed most important to drinking and surface water on Long Island.

The original act protected drinking water in a 105,000-acre area and preserved native habitats by directing development elsewhere.

The bill was sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Kenneth LaValle (R-Port Jefferson) and Sen. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley). Assemb. Robert Sweeney (D-Lindenhurst) introduced it in the Assembly.

"This legislation will preserve and protect for generations to come the quality and character of our region and, importantly, further protect our drinking water," LaValle said in a news release after the vote.

Zeldin said it is important to "partner with localities and our communities to find the right balance to help preserve Long Island's water quality without imposing unfair burdens."

The Brookhaven Town Board on Tuesday sent a home-rule message to Albany in support of the bill. The board has been working on a plan to protect the river from further development and pollution.

With the legislature's approval, and after Cuomo's signature, the next step is for the town to finish the watershed protection plan within nine months, said Town Supervisor Mark Lesko.

"It tosses the ball to the town and the Pine Barrens Commission to finalize the watershed protection plan," he said during his return from Albany on Friday. "There's a tremendous amount to do."

The 10-mile-long Carmans River snakes from Middle Island to Shirley through the Central Pine Barrens and feeds into Great South Bay.

The bill is a new and powerful tool to protect the groundwater that is within five years of reaching the river, according to one advocate.

"It means that the efforts to protect Long Island's most pristine river will benefit in the same way 50,000 acres of Pine Barrens have benefited through state legislation and a smart plan by Brookhaven Town," said Richard Amper, executive director of the advocacy group Long Island Pine Barrens Society.