Using the Science, Getting it Right
An Interview with Kimberly Shaw, Director of Natural Resources
by Nicholas Bryan
Five years ago, Amagansett native Kimberly Shaw was appointed—with a unanimous vote of the East Hampton Town Board—to succeed Larry Penny as Director of Natural Resources. Mr. Penny called her “ideally suited for the job.” In recognition of the anniversary, APC interviewed Kim about her remarkable career and the issues we face in protecting and improving our environment and the health of Accabonac Harbor.
Kim is a graduate of East Hampton High School, where earth science instructor Patricia Hope and marine science teacher Tony Minardi strongly influenced her desire to pursue a career in science. Although marine science was her intended major, “the Jacques Cousteau craze was over,” so she completed a degree in biology at the University of Delaware.
Her first job was with East Hampton’s Planning Department, working part-time at first because, “my sister and I had invested in a hot dog truck.” Due to a huge backlog, there was a concerted effort to get the Planning and Natural Resources Departments up to speed. Part of this effort was to examine the environmental impact of construction on Gerard Drive. Kim reported that the Community Preservation Fund (CPF) is now targeting Gerard, where even new and innovative alternative septic systems won’t work because groundwater is too shallow. She believes the solution for Gerard is probably a voluntary buy-out program similar to what was done at Lazy Point (in cooperation with the federal government) after Hurricane Sandy. Recently, the Town has purchased properties on Gerard and removed their houses.
Kim left Town employ in the early 1990s to work for the Office of Ecology, a division of Suffolk County’s Department of Health Services. At one point, she was head of the county’s Peconic Estuary Program (PEP), which in 2011 received the Coastal America Award. In both jobs, she met and worked with natural resource professionals with whom she continues to collaborate.
We discussed the legislation Town residents resoundingly passed in November, to use 20% of CPF to improve and protect water quality, which will likely include septic improvements (see “20% of CPF …” on Page 1). She praised the good example Southampton’s Clean Water Institute set by asking manufacturers to meet a 10 – 10 – 30 standard for septics: less than 10 parts per million of nitrogen discharge; no more than $10,000 to install; and at least a 30-year life expectancy. By contrast, the County’s invitation to septic manufacturers only called for a nitrogen standard of less than 19 parts per million, without referencing costs or system longevity.
The County’s Department of Health recently made a presentation to the East Hampton Town Board about two systems approved by the County: the Singular and the Hydro-Kinetic, both manufactured by Ohio-based Norweco Company. They cost $13,000 and $15,000 respectively, with annual maintenance of about $300 and a $12 monthly operating cost. (A standard septic system has a $4,000 installation cost but doesn’t reduce nitrogen.) Rebates financed by the newly approved extension of CPF could be used to offset these additional costs for local residents. Kim said the County is considering allowing these new systems to be shared among multiple houses to reduce costs significantly.
Peter Scully, the County’s wastewater czar, has directed that, by January 1, 2018, all new construction in Suffolk include innovative alternative septic systems. When asked about the Town wanting higher standards than the County, Kim pointed out that Town requirements in Harbor Protection Overlay Districts (HPODs) call for greater separation between pools and groundwater than the County allows and that Suffolk honors this increased standard. The higher standard also applies to Accabonac Harbor’s HPOD where, clearly, much more needs to be done to address water quality issues since the Harbor is now considered an impaired body of water.
She spoke enthusiastically about the joint venture with the Town, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County and Accabonac Protection Committee. The project is designed to locate the sources of nitrogen and other contaminants entering via groundwater in targeted areas in the Harbor.
We also discussed the culvert on Gerard Drive, which has been inoperable for a number of years due to sediment buildup. Kim spoke of the need to use a variety of complex scientific data to determine if it should be reopened and if it should remain operative. While it may seem intuitive that providing an opening between the Harbor and Gardiner’s Bay would cleanse the Harbor, she explained, there is insufficient data to support that contention. Indeed, she referenced the deliberate opening of Napeague Harbor and the deleterious effects that resulted; she also pointed out that there have been more shellfish closures in Accabonac since the installation of the culvert.
Kim noted that water entering the Harbor brings sediments and other materials. The sediments pile up in front of the vector control ditches, blocking them and impounding the water up on the marsh, contributing to mosquito breeding and destruction of vegetation. She also thinks there might have been a better location for the culvert. “Water quality monitoring,” she said, “is not the only thing that has to be done to determine if multiple openings actually improve water quality. The regular opening of Georgica Pond to flush the contaminants into the ocean is much different than creating a small inlet in Accabonac Harbor. The multiple opening scenario may lead to less tidal flow to flush out the sediments of the Harbor, thus requiring the additional expense of more frequent dredging.”
Kim really likes working for the Town and feels well supported by the Board. She values the people in various organizations she regularly partners with and her Town colleagues, enjoying strong working relationships she has developed throughout her career. Kim loves starting a project and being involved in all its aspects, is committed to a science-based approach and understands that change takes time. The success she has enjoyed is proof of the effectiveness of her style and her passion for getting it right.
Thank you, Kim Shaw.
N.B. Following my interview with Ms. Shaw, the Gerard Drive culvert was opened at the direction of the East Hampton Town Trustees.
