LETTER TO THE EDITOR

GET PUMPED, LONG ISLAND

Received from Sarah Deonarine on  December 13, 2016

To the Editor: 
​
The holiday season is here with its obligatory relative visits, holiday parties, and unfortunate dietary decisions, so it is important to make sure your cesspool or septic system (collectively called home wastewater systems) can handle the extra load.  Luckily, homeowners have a resource for information on this issue with the newly launched GetPumpedLI.org website (if you live in a north shore community, you may have received an informational post card).  The website and associated printed materials are the culmination of a five-year project, funded by the NYS Department of State, between Manhasset Bay, Hempstead Harbor, and Oyster Bay/Cold Spring Harbor Protection Committees, the Friends of Oyster Bay, and the Town of Oyster Bay to educate homeowners about their home wastewater systems and how to care for them.  The C.E.S.S.P.O.O.L. (Coordinated Environmental Solutions for Septic Problems Occurring On Long Island) project recommends, among other things, regular pumpouts and inspections in order to keep your home wastewater system functioning reliably while saving money and protecting our local waters.
In the 1,000-page, 2015 Suffolk County Comprehensive Water Resources Management Plan, the County lays out steps to reduce nitrogen pollution, a lot of which target home wastewater systems, including changing the sanitary code to require regular pumpouts and inspections in priority areas.  With Suffolk County taking these steps, it is likely that Nassau County will follow suit, making now the time for homeowners to start a regular maintenance plan for their home wastewater system if they have not already.

Sarah Deonarine
Manhasset Bay Protection Committee

BACK TO WEEKLY