Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Act

Sep 26

Over the last 50 years, research has told us repeatedly that the most significant, widespread, and controllable problem negatively impacting the quality of Suffolk County’s bays, harbors, and freshwater bodies is the inadequate treatment of human waste.

But there’s good news. Today’s high-tech septic systems can significantly reduce the overabundance of nitrogen that flows into East End waters every day.

For the past ten years, the Group, working with a broad coalition of clean water advocates, has been pressing Suffolk County to address its biggest and most challenging environmental problem. We have pushed relentlessly for a comprehensive wastewater strategy, proper updates and reforms to wastewater regulations, the advancement of new technology, and a stable and recurring revenue source to appropriately fund the program over time.

Thanks to your support, there’s more good news. The Group’s longstanding efforts have largely paid off. Over the last decade, Suffolk County has developed a sound, fact-based, science-driven plan to tackle the issue.

But how do we pay for a wastewater improvement program of this magnitude? Eventually, approximately 380,000 individual septic systems must be replaced and many sewage treatment facilities in more heavily developed areas must be expanded. It will take years.

Fortunately, the Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Act, written by the East End’s New York State (NYS) Assemblyman, Fred Thiele, was carefully structured to provide long-term funding for wastewater improvement. Key aspects of the plan include financial accountability, transparency, and protection against the redirection of funds to other programs. This important legislation was part of the governor’s 2023 budget bill and approved by the NYS Senate and Assembly. Once adopted, the bill granted the Suffolk County Legislature the authority to let voters decide if they want a stable and recurring revenue source dedicated exclusively to water quality infrastructure. The proposed funding mechanism calls for a 1/8-of-one-cent increase in the county sales tax until 2060. That minuscule amount, $1.25 for every $1,000 spent by consumers, is expected to generate over $4 billion over the 35-year life of the program.

If approved, more grants would be available for East End homeowners to offset the cost of replacing their septic systems—for decades.

Overwhelming support to include the measure on the November 2023 ballot was clearly demonstrated through public hearings and a diverse coalition of community, civic, environmental, business, construction, and contracting advocates.

Unfortunately, the 18 members of the Suffolk County Legislature could not agree on a final bill as they debated concerns over the funding allocations between sewer projects and individual onsite septic systems, and the individual needs of their districts. With the matter unresolved by the end of 2023, debate ended.

However, newly elected Suffolk County Executive Ed Romain committed to getting the job done in 2024, and shortly after taking office, he renewed the discussion with state and county legislative leaders and a final agreement, with very minor modifications from the original proposal was reached in early February. These negotiations set the stage for final action on the most comprehensive county-wide water quality and restoration program in more than four decades.

Most importantly, the final decision to proceed will be placed in the hands of Suffolk County voters in November, ensuring that the voice of the public will always be an integral part of decisions we make about the health of our environment and preserving our way of life here.

If you vote in Suffolk County, we need your help more than ever to get people to the polls in November and cast their vote for a clean water future. We'll soon launch a get-out-the-vote campaign - the largest in the history of the Group. Stay tuned!