Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone has signed a bill into law that would ban the installation of cesspools in the county.
While Suffolk County already has a law that bans new cesspools, there was a loophole in it that allowed failed cesspools to be replaced for decades.
Bellone says this new bill will help put an end to the cesspools that have polluted nitrogen into Long Island’s groundwater.
“By doing this, by closing this loophole, it will advance the water quality efforts that we have engaged in and set the stage for the evolution away from the use of non-performing cesspools and septic systems. And to ultimately utilize state of the art technologies to reduce nitrogen, reduce pollution into our water, and ultimately reverse; not just stop, but reverse; the decline we have seen in water quality.”
Supporters of the bill say nitrogen pollution in Long Island’s water threatens the local environment.
