Environmental Control

Responsibility for protection and management of the Sole Source Aquifer which supplies drinking water, rests primarily with the Suffolk County Department of Health Services' Division of Environmental Quality. The Division has an integrated management program with elements designed to safeguard the quality of water supplies, to protect the groundwater resource from non-potable elements and contaminants, minimizing the impact of need residential, commercial and industrial development, and to promote water conservation. The Division of Environmental Quality also identifies the best means of sewage collection, treatment and disposal; ensures that plans for major and minor subdivisions meet all relevant Sanitary Code requirements for water supply, and for sewage treatment and disposal; oversees new construction; issues State-mandated permits for industrial waste, sewage treatment plants and large-volume sewage discharges, and inspects and enforces permit conditions.

Water Supply

Management of the water supply on Long Island is a significant public policy issue. The only source of water on the Island is precipitation, which supplies its underground aquifers. The surrounding bodies of salt water cause the fresh-water reservoir to rise up into a dome under the center of the Island. As the water percolates from the surface through soil, most pollutants are removed by biological action. The safety of bathing beaches and marine resources are jointly the concerns of the Department of Health Services in Cooperation with the Suffolk County Water Authority and the Water Pollution Control Unit of the Deaprtment of Environmental Control.

By far the largest supplier of water is the Suffolk County Water Authority - a quasi-public agency whose members are appointed by the County Legislature. It has no taxing powers but sells bonds and is therefore responsible to its bond-holders for financial soundness. It serves approximately 150 communities from one end of the County to the other 3 separate districts (as of the Fall of 1994). Water bills reflest a basic district rate plus an ammount for water usage. Wells are pumping stations are spaced about two miles apart and water at all the pumps is tested and chlorinated.

In addition to the Suffolk County Water Authority there are some privately owned water companies. Large tracts of sparsely populated land are not served by any supplier and homeowners must rely on their own wells. Water from farm irrigation comes from farmers' wells.

Three important programs have been in the forefront of Suffolk County's efforts to preserve and acquire open space: Farmland Preservation, the Open Space Program, and the Drinking Water Protection Program. The Farmland Preservation Program has preserved more than 6,000 acres of farmland, at a cost of $24 million. Since its inception, the Drinking Water Protection Program has permitted the County to purchase nearly 10,000 acres of land at a cost of $131 million. These purchases have deep flow recharge areas that extend throughout the mid-portion of Suffolk County's pine barrens.

An Environmental Bill of Rights for Suffolk County was approved by voter referendum in 1970. This law established a basic policy for the County: to conserve and protect its natural resources, the quality of the environment and natural scenic beauty, its agricultural land, and its historic sites. A council on Environmental Quality was created to help carry out this policy. It consists of nine voting members, one of whom is the Chair of the Parks Committee of the County Legislature; the other eight members are non-salaried and are appointed by the County Executive with the approval of the County Legislature. The Council reviews the evaluations made by the State Environmental Quality Review Act of all County-initiated projects that may have an impact on the environment. The Council also advises the County Legislature and the County Executive on which County-owned properties to dedicate as County Nature preserves or historic trusts, and which properties should be purchased for preservation.

Governed by a Board of Directors appointed by the County Legislature, the Soil and Water Conservation District provides erosion control to Suffolk County residents, and monitors the effects of irrigation on the underground water supply.