June Newsletter 2022
Summer arrived on June 20th and is fully engaged! I hope everyone enjoys it. Here are a few seasonal updates and two items on water quality.
STOP Day June 26, 2021, 9-2
Please gather toxic chemicals you may have stored in your home or garage and bring them to the East Hampton Recycling Center, 260 Springs Fireplace Road. You can make a significant contribution to Accabonac Harbor and its watershed by never allowing these chemicals to make their way into the ground water. We have been waiting for this day all year, Don’t miss it!
Ticks: Please do not spray anything in your yard to kill ticks. The notion that you can rid your property of ticks is a bit fanciful and can be dangerous. Any chemical strong enough to kill ticks will likely kill beneficial insects such as pollinators like this monarch butterfly and all insects that birds eat. It is better to spray garments, hats, and shoes that you habitually use outdoors, with a product like Repel that contains Permethrin. Read and follow the label instructions. The treatments should last two weeks. In addition, I spray my shoes and pants with a product containing DEET. I am careful that my pet’s flea and tick treatments are administered per schedule. Carefully check yourself after being outdoors.
If you want to learn more about the interdependency of insects and all life, the work of Doug Tallamy, “Nature’s Best Hope” is excellent.
Here is the link to a program with Doug sponsored by the Quoque Nature Refuge.
Local turtles are active now. There seem to be more vehicles on the roads around Accabonac Harbor than ever, including lots of trucks for construction, garbage trucks, fuel trucks, deliveries etc. Drivers seem to be in a hurry, driving faster than they should, often distracted. The turtles are getting killed and their deaths are avoidable. Turtles move slow, can be avoided if you scan the road ahead of you and drive with care.
If you see a box turtle in the road, and it is safe to do so, it is ok to pick the turtle up and move it to the shoulder in the direction it was traveling. We also have diamondback terrapins in Accabonac Harbor. They can be seen crossing the road to get to the dunes. Watch for them, please.
Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons is so helpful in saving injured turtles or humanely euthanizing them. Their number is 631-779-3737
Accabonac Protection Committee ordered more turtle crossing signs. We will need your help strategically placing the signs. Please send an email if you have suggestions for sign placement. accabonacprotection@gmail.com
Water Quality Projects:
The Town Board unanimously approved the Cornell Cooperative Extension request for funding for Phase II of a multi-phase permeable reactive barrier to remediate a plume of ammonium entering Accabonac Harbor utilizing oxygen injection/oxygen releasing compounds to treat ammonium and a permeable reactive barrier to treat nitrate. The PRB will remove potentially 112 lbs. of nitrogen from groundwater entering Accabonac Harbor. This is a Non-Point Pollution Abatement, funding of $79,225 (pending availability of funding Fall 2021) approved.
You may recall that APC funded the first phase of this project to enable data collection to characterize the plume and identify mitigation approach. We believe private-public collaborations like this one are essential to make progress on projects like this one.
IA Septic Systems: We are encouraged that the Water Protection District lines now include all of the hamlet of Springs, and that Suffolk County currently has funds for the I/A septic replacement program. The taxable income status of such grants remains a stumbling block for many East Hampton homeowners.
HR 2771, sponsored by Rep. Souzzi, co-sponsored by Rep. Zeldin, Rep. Rice and Rep. Garbarino, will provide an exclusion from gross income for certain wastewater management systems. The bill was introduced in April of 2021 and currently sits in the Ways and Means committee. The bill would allow persons who were issued 1099’s and filed tax returns to file amended returns excluding the 1099 income. At least that is the way it is intended to work at this point, according to Rep. Zeldin’s IRS expert.
This legislation would likely increase the number of I/A systems installed. Let’s hope it is passed.
See you around the Harbor!
Best Regards,
Patrice Dalton, APC President
