Four Long Island environmental groups want Suffolk County lawmakers to introduce a ballot measure that would create a property tax or water bill to raise money for wastewater treatment.
The plan is expected to generate $70 million a year to upgrade septic systems to treat nitrogen. Nitrogen that leaks into bodies of water has been linked to toxic algal blooms that kill marine life.
Adrienne Esposito, executive director for Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said the average homeowner would pay about $70 a year.
“Our job is to get it on the ballot, do public education. We believe that the public wants clean water, we know the public deserves clean water and expects clean water. So we’re gonna have to fight.”
The groups needs 13,000 signatures to put the measure on the ballot without involvement from legislators. They prefer a water bill over a property tax to encourage water conservation.