Septic systems, $40T national debt, police at polling booths

Splurging on septic systems not the answer

As a former Stony Brook University professor and director of its Waste Data and Analysis Center, I argue that nitrogen inputs to the estuaries will decline in the future without spending $8 billion on finicky, biological wastewater systems that require careful maintenance to function well and may not achieve their intended environmental effect even if they do work right [“Suffolk pace in adding new septic systems,” News, Aug. 24].

Agricultural land, which historically has produced more than twice as much nitrogen input as residences per acre, has been converted to housing over much of Suffolk County post-World War II, and remaining farms grow different crops with differing fertilizer requirements.

Most groundwater recharge in Suffolk County is on the order of 100 years away from aquifer discharge, so this has not been fully realized yet offshore.

The onset pattern for the 1985 Brown Tide argues against nitrogen pollution as its primary cause. But if nitrogen truly is the reason for estuary upsets, the ecological concept of system hysteresis means water column concentrations need to be reduced to less than those of more than 40 years ago.

Spending the same amount of money on residential solar could provide the same number of houses with over $2,000 a year in electricity savings while combating a much greater threat to our well-being, climate change.

— David Tonjes, Huntington

When we built our new house in Asharoken two years ago, we were required by Suffolk County to install the nitrogen system, which is more like a sewage treatment plant on your property than a septic system

We had a great deal of extra expense — more than $50,000 — in addition to being unable to use the area above the massive system — more than 100 feet long — for parking cars or anything heavier than a lawnmower. The article also did not mention that homeowners are required to maintain an annual service contract on the unit, which is costly.

Thereafter, the service provider is contracted to do a system maintenance check every quarter.

New builds also do not get any subsidies toward the expenses, so it is all out of pocket, and the system is much more temperamental than a standard septic system.

— Martin Stevens, Centerport

Although Suffolk County is behind on the costly implementation of new systems, it seems to ignore the fact that the tremendous amount of lawn fertilizer is a greater cause of nitrogen pollution in our lakes, streams, coastline, and aquifer due to the absorption and runoff of these chemicals. It would be interesting to evaluate the result of a two-year-or-longer moratorium on these chemicals, especially to this retired science teacher.

— Robert Clark, Smithtown

Debt’s real cause: spending, not cuts

The federal deficit is being blamed, at least in part, on tax cuts [“U.S. debt set to hit $40 trillion,” LI Business, Aug. 19]. It should be noted that in the past 50 years, when there was a tax cut, federal revenue had an initial dip and then went up significantly the following years when it had a chance to filter into and stimulate the economy.

An example of that is the tax cuts of 2001. Federal revenue was at $1.99 trillion, but after an initial dip, in 2006 it was up to $2.4 trillion. It was 20% higher than before the tax cuts.

Higher federal revenue reduces deficits, so to what can we attribute the debt? Spending and waste. Just because they are worthwhile causes or projects doesn’t mean we can afford them.

We are speeding toward a cliff and refusing to turn the wheel. Some members of Congress refuse to acknowledge the cliff, some refuse to turn the wheel, and all of us will wind up at the bottom.

— John Chiappino, Smithtown

Now that the U.S. national debt has reached another ominous milestone, scores of articles refer to “trillions of dollars” as if we citizens actually comprehend what a trillion dollars is.

I hope this helps: If you had a million dollars (ignoring any earned interest) and spent $1,000 per day, it would last approximately 2 years, 9 months. A billion dollars, at the same spend rate, would last about 2,700 years. And $1 trillion spent at $1,000 a day would last 2,737,851 years.

— Frank Cavallaro, East Meadow

Only lawbreakers need fear poll police

James Scheuerman of the Nassau County Board of Elections called on the police commissioner to keep police, including federal agents, away from polling sites [“No voters should be intimidated,” Editorial, Aug. 20]. He believes their presence would suppress voter turnout. As a law-abiding resident, I’d welcome their presence.

The only people who would be intimidated by the presence of police or federal agents would be people who had entered our country illegally or are criminals with outstanding warrants.

— Janice Muskaloon, Franklin Square