No Discharge

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that flushing boat toilets into Lake Montauk, a bounteous source of clams and other seafood, is a bad idea. While marina owners there have been quick to point out that boat wastes account for only a small portion of the lake's pollution and that road runoff and coliform bacteria from flooded septic systems are far bigger villains, everything possible should be done to lessen contamination.

Officials told boating representatives at a meeting three weeks ago that an aggressive land-based campaign to clean the lake was in progress - in the form of revitalizing wetland buffers, rerouting runoff, and preserving some lakefront or wetland properties, among other projects. Now, the suggestion that the lake be designated a no-discharge zone should be implemented.

Such designations go on the nautical charts of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and give the town the right to impose stiff penalties on transgressors. In addition, by showing the Feds that the town means business, it could earn some Federal dollars for land preservation through the Peconic Estuary Program.

Pumpout stations for marine toilets have been in place at town docks and private marinas in Lake Montauk for years. The next step is to provide pumpout boats to make compliance with no-discharge regulations as easy as possible. A pilot program is planned in Three Mile Harbor this summer, and Lake Montauk deserves the same.

It will take until 1998 to get no-discharge designations in place. Now is the time to get the ball rolling - and not only for Lake Montauk, but for every harbor in East Hampton Town.