Septic Grant Program Could Begin As Soon As August

A Southampton Town rebate program that would provide financial assistance to homeowners to upgrade outdated septic systems could be rolled out as soon as next month.

The news comes on the heels of last November’s referendum in which voters overwhelmingly agreed to allocate as much as 20 percent of the town’s future Community Preservation Fund proceeds to water quality improvement efforts.

According to Town Councilman John Bouvier, the municipality is making progress with draft legislation for the townwide rebate program, which would allow residents to apply for up to $10,000 in grant money, per household, to upgrade an outdated septic systems.

Town officials also have worked to put together a water quality advisory committee to advise town officials about other ways to use the 20 percent in CPF revenues, estimated to run between $9 million and $12 million annually.

Unlike a similar $11,000 rebate program offered by Suffolk County, Mr. Bouvier said, the town’s initiative most likely will allow the owners of rental properties to apply for the grant money as well, although properties located in environmentally sensitive areas still would be given priority. Depending on the system and property location, the cost of purchasing and installing a county-approved on-site wastewater treatment and leaching system could cost anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000.

Exactly when the program could be launched will depend on the results of public hearings, Mr. Bouvier said, explaining that he also still needs to work with those overseeing the county’s rebate program to determine if Southampton Town residents can apply for both grants.

In order to reduce elevated levels of nitrogen in groundwater traced to outdated septic systems, town officials also have recently pushed legislation that would require updated, on-site wastewater treatment systems for all new residential developments built near bodies of water and other sensitive areas.

If approved at the next Town Board meeting on Tuesday, July 25, the legislation would also apply to renovations that increase the floor area of a residential structure by more than 25 percent. As the law is currently proposed, if an applicable residential project does not install the required systems, the owners would be subject to a $1,000 fine, which would go toward the town’s septic system rebate and incentive program. They would be required to complete “remediation efforts” at the discretion of the county.

East Hampton Town is expected to vote on a similar law this week that would require nitrogen-reducing septic upgrades for any newly constructed houses, major renovations or failing septic systems. It is also likely to roll out its own rebate program this month, making grants of up to $15,000 per household available.

Southampton Town officials have also looked for alternative approaches to improving water quality, through educational outreach and the introduction of new shellfish colonies. After months of renovations, a new Hampton Bays marine education and outreach center—coupled with a shellfish nursery—has finally opened its doors.

The marine center officially opened at the end of June, with the first educational program starting on Friday, July 7. A group of children age 3 to 5 attended one of the first marine education classes offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County inside the brand-new Tiana Bayside Stewardship and Education Center, situated on the bay side of Dune Road.

The facility is also a home to Cornell’s SPAT program, in which volunteers help raise shellfish to seed the bays. It currently has 80 participants at Tiana, who each pay $200 to get 2,000 spat and two cages.

As he recently checked on his own oysters at the center near Tiana Beach, reeling in a cage filled with maturing oysters, Mr. Bouvier admitted that septic upgrades can take a long time to yield results: It could take years before a notable impact on the water quality in the bays. Still, every little bit helps—even 3-inch shellfish, since every adult oyster filters almost 50 gallons of water a day, he said.

“Let’s be honest: Our economy depends on the aesthetics of this area,” he said. “We should still be thinking 20 years into the future. Let’s not be narrow in our thinking.”

Water bodies throughout the region in recent years have been listed by the State Department of Environmental Conservation in the summer as having algae blooms known as cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, which has been linked to elevated levels of nitrogen from outdated septic systems and other factors.