Improvements for Water Outlined
Massive wastewater treatment and water quality improvement plans for Hook and Town Ponds were described at an East Hampton Village Board meeting Friday, calling for projects such as a groundwater treatment system running along Egypt Lane, a sewage treatment facility under the triangular open space between Egypt and Middle Lanes for 87 properties, and the construction of a wetland.
Pio Lombardo of Lombardo Associates, who was hired by both the village and town to identify water quality problems and come up with solutions, spoke of a costly and years-long process.
“We know the patient is very ill,” Mr. Lombardo said. However, “We’ve made tremendous progress. We’ve taken the plan recommendations and started the implementation process.”
Three preliminary engineering plans have been developed for the village, and grant applications already have been submitted to prospective funding agencies, Mr. Lombardo said.
Near Town Pond, a system to treat stormwater from Route 27, James Lane, and Ocean Avenue would be developed. Eliminating direct discharges into Town Pond is critical, he said. The wetland would filter out phosphorus and nitrogen from water passing through it. An existing system of pipes would have to be relocated to construct the wetland, an effort Mr. Lombardo called “a little complicated.” He proposed that the area be vegetated with help from the Garden Club of East Hampton and other interested organizations.
A groundwater treatment system running parallel to Egypt Lane and the Nature Trail, Mr. Lombardo said, would comprise an approximately six-foot-wide swath in which nitrates would be converted into a gas and phosphorus dissolved into mineral form. That area would be revegetated, Mr. Lombardo said, suggesting its integration into the Nature Trail would “show how, working with nature, water quality improvements can occur.”
A third project would address wastewater systems on 87 properties in the Egypt Lane to North Main Street area that Mr. Lombardo said are “if not in groundwater, awfully close and not getting proper treatment.” He proposed constructing one system at the village-owned triangular green on Egypt Lane.
In addition to projects to improve long-range water quality, existing sediment in Town and Hook Ponds, which builds up and releases nutrients that cause excessive algae growth, wouldhave to be removed. “Without dealing with the sediment, we will not see appreciable water quality improvements.”
The sediment has to be tested before its disposition can be determined, he said. “Can it be reused on residential versus commercial versus industrial property, or does it have to go to a hazardous waste site?” Disposal at such a site would be far costlier, he said. He anticipated three rounds of testing, with the objective to minimize the quantity that would have to be removed and determine the means of excavation. Those sediments rich in phosphorus would be the priority.
A separate taxation district would need to be created, Mr. Lombardo said, which would require approval of voters. “We anticipate other needed improvements will be identified as the program evolves,” he said. “Not least would be any additional stormwater improvements that are going to be necessary.”
Mr. Lombardo suggested that the project be paid for through a proposed change in the law governing the community preservation fund, which would siphon off a percentage of revenue for water quality projects. “I would urge everyone to see that as a huge opportunity for community preservation,” he said, “but for discussion purposes, we need to assume self-funding.”
The board will consider Mr. Lombardo’s proposals at its October work session next Thursday, Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr. said.
In other news at the meeting, the board voted unanimously to adopt an amendment to the zoning code prohibiting detached residential garages in front yards. Front-yard garages that have been constructed in recent years, in order to maximize rear yards, are not in keeping with the character of the village’s residential neighborhoods, according to the law’s legislative intent.
The board also approved a code amendment requiring that all garbage receptacles be covered securely at night. This requirement, which already applies to receptacles on commercial premises, was extended to private residential property and construction sites.