Praise for Proposed Septic System Law
A proposed law that would require updated wastewater treatment systems for all new residences and for existing ones that expand by 25 percent or increase the number of bedrooms was praised by environmental advocates at an East Hampton Village Board public hearing on Friday. There was no opposition.
The board had intended to vote on the law the same day, but a question about its wording necessitated a delay until Feb 7. “We want to make sure we get it right,” Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr. said.
Because nitrogen from traditional septic systems causes surface and groundwater pollution, the board has been working since September to draft a law mandating technologically advanced, nitrogen-reducing systems. In earlier discussions, the board decided to limit the legislation to residential properties, while a long-term plan to install a centralized waste management system in the village business district is under consideration.
Kevin McAllister, the president of Defend H20, thanked the board for being proactive about what he called the emerging threat of nitrogen in water bodies. He said, however, that the law should be just a first step. A far greater number of outdated septic systems would need to be replaced to have a measurable effect, he said, suggesting that anyone who buys a house in the village should be required to install an advanced system. He also said the board should set a date, “maybe 10 years out,” for when every septic system must be updated.
The village law goes beyond one passed by East Hampton Town in August 2017 by requiring upgraded systems for houses that undergo 25 percent expansion, versus the town’s 50 percent.
Nevertheless, Christopher Clapp, a marine scientist with the Nature Conservancy and a member of East Hampton Town’s water quality technical advisory committee, recommended lowering the percentage even more. He also suggested a septic upgrade requirement for major renovations that cost more than 50 percent of the appraised value of a residence, even if there weren’t an expansion in square footage or an increase in bedrooms.
“They’re still spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the 10 or 20 thousand to put in an [advanced] system would be a small add-on cost,” he said.
Barbara Borsack, a trustee, said Mr. Clapp had made a good point about lowering the percentage of expansion. Rose Brown agreed, and said the law should be considered a work in progress and should be passed at the next meeting.
The sooner the better, said Sara Davison, the executive director of the Friends of Georgica Pond. “Every day, a new house is being built or renovated, and we’re losing those opportunities to mandate low nitrogen septic systems,” she said.
Letters of support for the legislation were submitted by the East Hampton Town Board, the Group for the East End, and the Village Preservation Society.
In other business, the board accepted a $55,000 bid from Michael Nachtome to lease a Sea Spray cottage at Main Beach from May 10 through Sept 15 (it was the only bid received). The one-bedroom, one-bath building is one of 13 cottages and a house built in the late- 19th century on Main Street and moved to the beach for use as an inn. The inn was destroyed by fire in early 1978. The village bought the cottages and the 16-acres on which they sit, which abut Hook Pond, for just over $1.3 million in December 1978. The unit is cited as number 14 for reasons of superstition.
Scott Fithian, the superintendent of public works, announced that new, retrofitted LED bulbs are being installed in street lights in the commercial core and outlying districts. “The existing lighting on Main Street and Newtown Lane, which were put in in like 1995, are starting to go bad all at one time,” he said. The new bulbs, he said, would provide an 80 percent increase in energy efficiency. “The saving is unbelievable.”