• Prohibit cesspools from being repaired, unless the repairs were minor. In lieu of repairs, property owners would have to connect to a sewer system that complied with “current sanitary code.” County health departments would have authority to determine whether systems complied.

Water is among Long Island’s most precious resources, and it’s becoming scarcer by the day. The Legislature must enact a water management plan for Long Island that includes stringent guidelines to limit unnecessary water use and decrease the use of pesticides and herbicides.

Our children’s children will be most grateful if it does.

Long Island’s aquifers

Long Island depends on four massive aquifers. They are:

• The Upper Glacial Aquifer. Found near the surface, this aquifer is roughly 700 feet deep at its deepest point.

• The Jameco Aquifer. A lower glacial deposit that runs along the northern and southern coasts of Nassau County, it’s found 150 to 550 feet below the surface and is as deep as 200 feet.

• The Magothy Aquifer. Underlying Nassau and Suffolk counties, it’s 600 feet below the surface and reaches a depth of 1,100 feet.

• The Lloyd Aquifer. Sitting atop bedrock, this aquifer is found 200 to 1,800 feet below the surface and is 560 feet deep at its deepest point.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency