Editorial

L.I. still needs a water-management plan

Posted

On Long Island, we worry about our water –– a lot. After all, it comes from a series of sole-source aquifers, stores of ancient water buried deep underground that are recharged not by rivers and lakes, but by rainwater alone.

The thing is, for all of our worrying, not much is done to protect our drinking-water supply. We waste millions of gallons of water each year. We spread synthetic pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers on our lawns, which, because they’re water-soluble, dissolve rapidly into the soil and seep down into our water supply. And then there’s the threat of saltwater intrusion. As we suck water from the ground, the level of fresh water in our aquifers drops, which allows saltwater from the Atlantic Ocean and Long Island Sound to creep in.

We have some time (who knows how much time?) before our aquifers are depleted or poisoned beyond repair. Eventually, however, one of these two scenarios will play out, and future generations of Long Islanders will be left with nowhere to turn for a safe, stable, continual supply of drinking water. They will have to depend on other regions –– which are also already hurting for water –– to supply their needs.

It needn’t be this way, however. This isn’t the drought-prone Southwest. Long Island receives lots of rainfall, which should be adequate to meet our needs. We need careful planning, however.

Local government is wonderful, offering residents the opportunity to take part in civic life in ways that would not otherwise be possible. On the other hand, local government can be chaotic. There is no central leadership to project a clear and consistent message: All Long Islanders must work to protect our water supply.

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