Sewage and a Storm Drain

A recreational vehicle parked at the Solé East resort on Second House Road in Montauk last weekend drew the attention of town officials, who observed a waste pipe running from the vehicle to a storm drain. They said the pipe had been emptying sewage directly into the drain.

Kelly Kampf, assistant director of the town’s Division of Public Safety, said yesterday that she had notified the State Department of Environmental Conservation, which sent an officer to the site. There was no one occupying the R.V., but Ms. Kampf was told at the resort that it belonged to Tom Feeley, an owner of the hotel who was among the group that purchased and renovated it just over a decade ago. The vehicle is registered to Jane Feeley of Sunny Island Beach, Fla., Ms. Kampf said.

In the Feeleys’ absence, summonses for illegal discharge were issued to Solé East. Additional charges from the D.E.C. were expected, though not immediately made public.

Mr. Feeley could not be reached, but David Ceva, another partner in Solé East, said yesterday that the situation “was a complete honest mistake.” After emptying the R.V. waste tank at a designated station at Hither Hills, he said, Mr. Feeley parked it on site during his stay at the hotel.

The pipe coming from the R.V. was connected to a shower drain, Mr. Ceva said. It was meant to be emptied into the hotel’s drainage system, he said, but was mistakenly put into the public storm drain. After town officials arrived, a hotel manager was asked to go into the R.V. and shut down the pipe, but pulled the wrong lever, Mr. Ceva said, releasing a small amount of septic waste.

“We were trying to cooperate,” said Mr. Ceva, who expressed dismay at the situation. “We respect the neighborhood; we respect the environment. There was a mistake.”