17 Broken Promises, An Overview
Cile Downs
Representatives of the South Fork Groundwater Task Force appeared before the East Hampton Town Board at a brown bag meeting on Tuesday, January 7th at 11:30 AM. They reminded the Board of its complete failure to implement any groundwater protection plan, two years after their resolution of Nov. 3rd 2000 which stated that "…the groundwater component of the comprehensive plan will have a target completion date of April 1, 2001." In a document titled "The Seventeen Broken Promises" the Task Force clearly lays out details of that resolution, unanimously passed, almost all of which the Town Board has chosen to bury.
There is no doubt about what East Hampton citizens want; in the summer of 2000, more than enough signatures were put on a petition to require the Town to place a referendum on that year's ballot mandating a groundwater protection plan. The Board refused to do this, offering instead to include groundwater protection in the Comprehensive Plan Update then being undertaken by Dr. Lee Koppelman. This was to have been completed by April 1, 2001. A survey conducted by Dr. Koppelman showed overwhelming support for a groundwater management plan as well as environmental protection in general. A survey sent out more recently by State Assemblyman Fred Thiele shows an astounding 80% support for a South Fork groundwater plan.
The Seventeen Broken Promises (appended) are drawn from the Town Board Resolution of November 2000 that detailed the objectives of the Comprehensive Plan Update, specified Lee Koppelman's job description and indicated follow-up by the Board. Strangely, this resolution, passed unanimously by the Board, appears to have been totally forgotten by them.
The groundwater section of the Draft Comprehensive Plan is inadequate, if not, in Fred Thiele's words, "…an unmitigated disaster". It is filled with worthy sentiments and correct but vague recommendations, lacking specificity. It sounds good but provides no tools, such as legislation to realize any of its goals. It lacks teeth. Tied to the ponderous Comprehensive Plan process which has yet to even reach the point of public hearings, groundwater protection languishes. The clock is ticking, pollution continues, and valuable recharge areas are disappearing.
The Task Force wanted to remind the Board and its constituency that the promises have been ignored and that as two more years of development and pollution have gone forward our groundwater is now in greater danger than it was then.
GROUNDWATER PROTECTION DELAYED IS GROUNDWATER PROTECTION DENIED.
 South Fork Groundwater Task Force
PO BOX 2360 Sag Harbor, NY 11963
Phone/Fax: 631 - 725 - 6200
Site By: Hamptons Online
|
|
|
