Letter: Set Suffolk’s bar high to protect water
Pirate's Cove is a hidden private beach nestled between large sand dunes at McAllister County Park on the northern tip of Belle Terre. Getting there can be tricky -- if you don't have a boat to ferry you into the cove, you have to walk more than a mile along the shoreline. But once you get there, the clean shallow water and quiet beachfront is more than sublime. It's also a great place for kayaking or fishing. Credit: Amy Onorato
The April 29 editorial addressing Suffolk County’s water plan highlighted important issues [“Water plan has holes to plug”] — namely, details about transparency and the vetting process.
Suffolk’s cesspools have contaminated our region’s drinking and surface waters. If we’re going to restore our waters, then we have to pay for it. While I support County Executive Steve Bellone’s initiative to fund and fix, my support is qualified.
Bellone’s prescription is additional sewering and the broad installation of alternative treatment systems. Both are appropriate, provided they have scientific validation and high performance standards. The bar for nutrient removal must be set high; half-measures won’t save our waters.
And, let’s not overlook agriculture, golf courses and residential trophy lawns when trying to roll back nitrogen loading. Suffolk County must think big and act boldly.
Kevin McAllister, Amagansett
Editor’s note: The writer is the founding president of Defend H2O, a nonprofit advocacy organization.
