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Thursday, June 20, 2024 ~ Volume 69 ~ Issue Number 35 ~ $1.00
Budget Sachem Central School District Does Not Passes Budget Pierce in Revote Tax Cap Budget Does Not Pierce Tax Cap Story on page 8
First Fire Island Sewage Study Presented to County Legislature By Matt Meduri
Efforts to remediate Suffolk County’s wastewater problems have been as numerous as they are complex. Protection of the sole-source aquifer, mitigating groundwater contamination, preventing the loss of valuable tourism dollars, and revitalizing downtowns are just a few of the major objectives of multiple levels of local government. However, one project fits squarely in the center of the wastewater Venn Diagram, and its inclusion has long eluded comprehensive county-wide plans. At a Monday meeting of the Suffolk County Legislature’s Environment, Parks, and Agricultural Committee in Riverhead, the first sewage and wastewater study plan for Fire Island was presented and discussed. Fire Island’s geography and culture is vastly different from that of the mainland. Small, rural communities dot the landscape between Brookhaven and Islip towns, while shallow, sandy terrain makes it difficult for comprehensive infrastructure. A low year-round population balloons to over two million throughout the summer season. Fire Island is also nestled precariously between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great South Bay, presenting unique environmental risks if the current wastewater status continues unexplored.
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