Multiple public debates about water quality and quantity and how to deal with wastewater have been held. Everyone interested in the issue has weighed in, but Tuesday afternoon, in what could have been a repeat of arguments that would go nowhere, the discussion took a new turn when Town Engineer Joe Finora was invited by Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams to weigh in.
"The question before the Town is how are you going to handle your water supply and water disposal," he said.
There have been analyses done and it's time for a refreshing study to examine where supplies are and what homeowners are doing with their water after using it, he said.
Results of an updated study are aimed at determining effective ways to deliver private water via private wells, he said, putting a stop on the ongoing debate, at least for now, over whether or not to bring in the Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA) to manage an Island wide water system. SCWA is a nonprofit public benefit corporation constituted under the New York State Public Authorities law.
The study needs to look at costs and risks associated with ongoing treatments and the costs and risks of density zoning on water delivery.
Shelter Island invested in such a study in 2005, and that needs to be updated to fit today's realities, Mr. Finora said. "That is the approach I recommend and commend the Board for use of Water Quality Improvement money for this," he added, offering to work with others to develop a Request for Proposals to identify the cost of the update.
His words seemed to hit home with people advocating no needed action other than that individual property owners have their water tested and select treatment methods for any contaminants that might be revealed.
It also satisfied Ms. Brach-Williams who, throughout Tuesday's lengthy discussion, kept asking what anyone would suggest be done with more data if money is spent through Town taxes, or through the Water Quality Improvement Advisory Board funds, to pay for more testing in specific areas.
Councilman Benjamin Dyett called Mr. Finora's advice "a big step" to see what data is available and what is still needed to guide choices about handling wastewater and ensuring any Islander with contaminated water has access to potable water.
Tuesday's discussion started with Water Advisory Committee Chairman Peter Grand trying to determine if a $20,000 item in his committee's funding could be used for testing of saltwater intrusion, which has been requested by residents of Silver Beach, Menantic Peninsula and Montclair.
"Nobody is having a conversation about public water," Mr. Grand said.
Anita Brush of the Menantic Peninsula, said none of the residents in that area were advocating inviting SCWA to come to the Island.
"That was never our intention," she said. Her members don't oppose groundwater testing and only reached out to the Town thinking the Board would have some authority to move testing forward.
Others joined the discussion with general objections to inviting SCWA to study issues and make recommendations, worried it would lead to SCWA taking over management of Island water systems.
Councilman Albert Dickson repeated his view that more current information is needed before spending more public money on water testing.
On one point, the Town Board has been consistent: No member has favored any Island-wide water system.
Sean Davy, a member of the Silver Beach Association, said he doesn't want SCWA involved in any solution and suggested the Town Board establish a clear statement about what they are seeking from any study or action. He said Silver Beach residents don't want a "scatter-shot" approach to problems and said residents are being pushed to get their water tested even if there's no payment from the Town to reimburse the cost.
Gordon Gooding, chairman of the Town's Community Preservation Fund and a candidate for Town Board, said the fear of public water has many resisting actions that have been discussed, yet, "No one is inclined to want bad water." He reiterated his call for an independent expert to evaluate the problems and possible solutions.
"It's costing money and may even be costing lives" to continue to talk without input from a neutral person with appropriate credentials to provide reliable information and direction to the Town Board. "There is no silver bullet," Mr. Gooding said.
To comments that Town Board members have their minds made up about how to proceed, Ms. Brach-Williams said, "I do not have my mind made up one way or another." She also said that the Comprehensive Plan draft still not being settled has contributed to inaction on water issues. The Town Board interrupted its review of the draft plan to pivot to working on the 2025 budget, which is expected to be adopted in late November.