Hands Off C.P.F.

East Hampton officials are reported to be thinking about seeking state authorization to tap the community preservation fund for wastewater projects. This potential funding source should be a last resort.

To be sure, the problems surrounding drinking water and the area’s creeks, harbors, and bays are critical. A recent study commissioned by the town that looked at conditions on every parcel of land found that at least 1,760 properties had failed or insufficient septic systems, which were likely to contribute to water pollution. Further analysis could push the number of substandard systems over 3,500. How to pay for new, localized sewage treatment and individual upgrades is a major question.

One-time sources of funding, such as the state or federal government, are a possibility. A large bond offering — borrowing to be repaid by future tax income — is another. Then there is what some mistakenly see as “free” money, available by raiding the community preservation fund provided state and voter authorization were obtained. This would be a bad idea and dangerous precedent.

The Peconic Bay Region Community Preservation Fund came into being in 1998 after years of struggle by conservationists and lawmakers. Its sole source of income is a 2-percent tax on most real estate purchases. Its objective, generally stated, is to acquire land to help the participating communities preserve their treasured character. Allowable uses of the money include purchases for parks, nature preserves, farmland, wetlands, beaches, wildlife refuges, historic places, and aquifer protection. A modest portion of the fund also can be set aside for upkeep on such properties, but that’s it — and that’s enough.

Misuse of land preservation and environmental set-aside money has haunted governments for years. East Hampton’s reviled former Town Supervisor Bill McGintee’s administration faltered and his then-budget director pleaded guilty to misdemeanors over the diversion of money from the community preservation fund to pay for routine operations. In Southampton Town, there have been iffy, politically motivated payments of about $5 million in C.P.F. money to school districts, drawing the scrutiny of the state comptroller’s office.

For its part, Suffolk County has more than once helped itself to dedicated water-quality money to paper over budget shortfalls. On Tuesday, however, voters agreed to a measure that would repay the fund and stave off further raids.

Much as we know and admire many public officials, we have seen it before: The minute those in office find a funding source that does not threaten to raise taxes in the short term, they try to grab it. Moreover, time and again officials have acted less responsibly and thought less clearly when they were not directly answerable to taxpayers for a particular initiative. (Think of East Hampton Town Hall’s mindless acceptance of an inadequate Army Corps of Engineers plan for downtown Montauk.)

Make no mistake: East Hampton has a huge problem with water quality. However, tapping the preservation fund other than to buy up and neutralize lots in critical watersheds would be a dire mistake. Once that bridge is crossed, there would be far less to stop officials from grabbing again at the fund for the next big thing. Hands off the C.P.F.