Sewer Districts

 

About 7% of Nassau County is comprised of Special Sewer Districts.¹⁸ The rest are governed by the county. Project Sunlight reveals that Nassau County has five remaining sewer districts¹⁹ - and the customary allegations are that nearly all of them practice the same level of corruption and patronage that many Sanitation districts do. The Nassau County Department of Public works has worked with the County Executive’s office, and has put forth proposals that clearly show how sewer district consolidation can save taxpayer money and how the County can safely handle the process of linking the existing districts to the County mainframe.

As a result of these reports, Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi was able to initiate the consolidation of four village sewer districts in 2007.²⁰ It had become abundantly clear to all involved parties that “a detailed study of sewage treatment found that a County-wide sewer system is technically feasible, and would provide savings to the taxpayers and be better for the environment than the current set-up.”²¹

For detailed maps of Sewer Districts on Long Island, please click here.

 

Environmental Concerns

 

There is also an additional level of concern when it comes to sewer districts- and this holds true for Nassau County’s Water Districts as well- having small government entities controlling a district that has a direct effect on the local environment and surrounding ecosystems can be a recipe for disaster.

Nassau County is strictly regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency about how much nitrogen (human waste) it can dump into the Long Island Sound and other bodies of water. Because it is a large municipal government, with a large and complex sewer system, much like Suffolk County, New York City, and large entities in Westchester and Connecticut, there is a clear path to oversight.

The Special Sewer Districts in Nassau County are very difficult to regulate because, like any other special taxing district, they can, and have, in some cases, ignored inquiries by various agencies asking whether they exceed their EPA imposed limit on Nitrogen dumps into the Long Island Sound.

New York City, directly adjacent so some of these districts, has made a commitment to improving their environmental impact on the Long Island Sound.²² The Department of Environmental Conservation applauded the action, and went on to explain the dangers of exceeding the existing standards for the dumping of Nitrogen into waterways, stating:

“Excessive discharges of nitrogen, a common component of wastewater, degrade water quality in the Sound by fueling an overgrowth of algae. The algae die; settle to the bottom and decay, using up oxygen in the process. The resulting low levels of oxygen diminish the abundance, diversity and health of fish and shellfish populations and increase fish mortality. Reducing the amount of nitrogen that flows out of the treatment plants is necessary for the City to meet limits established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the DEC under the Clean Water Act²³.”

If New York City, which has a massive operation, can commit themselves to following environmental regulations- why can’t these Special Taxing Districts? The Long Island Sound Study, which is conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Long Island Office, also warns about the unregulated dumping of nitrogen into the sound.²⁴ An abundance of nitrogen in a saltwater body can leads to hypoxia, which a toxic water condition that prohibits most aquatic life from being able to survive, the effects of which can be cataclysmic to the surrounding environment. It’s important to note that if, and when there is an incident, it is the taxpayers who foot the bill for cleanup and remediation.

For detailed maps of Sewer Districts on Long Island, please click here.

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