Experts gathered in Peconic Saturday to examine the severe impacts of nitrogen overloading on local waters and to study a sea of new septic system solutions that could help mitigate concerns once approved countywide.
SoutholdVOICE presented the forum, “What You Need To Know About New Septic Systems” Saturday morning at Pindar Vineyards in Peconic.
Bob Eichinger, advisory consultant for Onsite Engineering, gave an overview of the new septic systems that have been created to offer solutions and address a critical issue he said affects us all globally.
The seminar, moderated by Pat Moore, included Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski, Glynis Berry of Peconic Green Growth, and Southold Town engineer Michael Collins. Also present in the audience were Southold Town Councilman Jim Dinizio and Democratic candidates Damon Rallis, Albie de Kerillis, Linda Goldsmith, Debra O’Kane, and Nick Krupski.
The issue is of critical importance to residents of the North Fork, which is surrounded by two estuaries of national significance, Berry said.
Southold, she said, is contributing the same amount of nitrogen to local waters as Southampton, despite the fact that Southampton has three times the volume of water going into the Peconic Estuary.
That’s due to a number of factors, including high density of population in coastal areas, stormwater runoff, continued reliance upon aging wells, which are a grandfathered use, lot size and non-conforming lots, and farming, including the use of fertilizer and pesticides, she said.
“The concentration of nitrogen in our groundwater in Southold is three times higher than Southampton’s,” Berry said. “We are getting away with murder because we grandfathered in cesspools.” Those cesspools, she said, do not need a permit and can be re-installed without a permit, she said. “We have to start thinking differently if we are going to address this problem.”
Berry said the high nitrogen levels are “absolutely” contributing to the die off of fish in local creeks and bays. “They are dying from lack of oxygen and as algal blooms decay, they absorb some of the oxygen and exacerbate the loss of oxygen in the water. It definitely has an impact,” she said.
According to a report by the Peconic Estuary Program, Berry said, the total maximum daily load, or TMDL, released for the North Fork is 2,130 tons of nitrogen per day, compared to 2,060 on the South Fork and 320 on Shelter Island.
Suffolk County, she said, has some of “the highest nitrogen levels in the country,” she said.
Algal blooms decrease the amount of oxygen in the water, impacting fish and eelgrass, which does not subsequently put down deep roots and dies off in storms, leading to a loss of habitats and marine life and leading to erosion, Berry said.
Since 2000, 50 percent of the area’s eelgrass has been lost due to nitrogen overload, Berry said. Some locations are worsening in Southold, she said, including Orient Harbor.
Four of the septic systems discussed by Eichinger will be part of a pilot program for new advanced wastewater treatment systems presented by Suffolk County; a lottery was held to choose winners. Mattituck resident Tom Pileski was one of the lottery winners; he was also present at the event.
Eichinger described various systems, including one, which featured adding air; if you give healthy bacteria air, it will eat up waste, he said. Other systems include a peat system, which he said are “great” for cleaning water, and others that use textile sheets that provide a healthy space for bacteria to reside and “eat up organic matter,” something he said is necessary for eradicating nitrogen loading.
All-in-one systems, he said, are ideal for tight space.
Moore asked about cost factors involved with new systems, especially for second home owners who might not be at their homes full-time.
Berry said some systems work better than others at being shut off and on; research is needed to choose the best system.
Berry added that cost varies greatly when purchasing a new septic system. If a homeowner is just adding to an already existing system, the cost would be approximately $10,000 to $15,000, but to install a new system generally costs between $25,000 and $35,000, Berry said.
While she said the cost might sound daunting, there are many incentives and programs that will be available down the road for homeowners.
“Competition helps everyone with costs,” Eichinger said. Maintenance costs run around $300 per year, but most systems come with a warranty that offers two years of free maintenance, he said. He urged homeowners to negotiate when looking at new systems.
Currently, however, none of the new systems discussed have Suffolk County health department approval.
But change is critical, Berry said, and if embraced, Southold could see some improvement within zero to two years. “This is an issue we have to start dealing with,” she said.
Krupski added that while farmers have made significant improvements to the process, some fertilizers, as well as other pharmaceuticals and other pollutants, are still “making their way out” and into the bays and creeks. Overall improvements could take years to implement, he said.
Collins, Southold town engineer, said so far, the problems Southold is facing have been very “ill-defined.”
For thousands of years, he said, wetlands have been used as natural sanitary treatment solutions. He discussed a pilot program, involving vertical constructed wetlands; the stand-alone system will be tested in a bathroom at Cochran Park in Peconic. Funding for the pilot was secured from Suffolk County thanks to Krupski, he said.
The system will work by collecting liquids and recirculating waste multiple times through a bed of gravel into a tank; the system is expected to reflect a two-thirds reduction in nitrogen, he said. The system is small, 144 square feet, and costs less than $10,000, he said. The pilot program will be installed in Peconic by the end of the year, he said.
“We’re not going to see measurable results tomorrow, but we will see incremental results over time,” he said.
Krupski said funds for a similar program involving vegetative wetlands were secured for Shelter Island.
One woman asked about a timeline for requiring homeowners with cesspools to implement new septic systems. Collins said right now, “we don’t even have approvable technology to solve the problems we know we have.”
Suffolk County Health Department progress has been slow in the past, Krupski said, but now, under Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, the technology is evolving “at lightspeed,” with the issue “a priority,” he said.
The bottom line, he added, is that new septic systems equal big business, with 360,000 individual septic systems in Suffolk County.
The new county program involves 19 sites, including Pileski’s in Mattituck and is expected to commence in the coming year.
Pileski said he’s “tickled pink” to be chosen. “I’ve lived out here all my life. This might not happen in my lifetime, but I’d like to see changes in my children’s lifetimes. This is a step forward.”
To further educate the public about emerging septic system technologies, Peconic Green Growth will host the NoFo Blue and Green Tour Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. at Port of Egypt and Heron Suites Hotel. For additional information, click here.
