When the Southold Town Board held a public hearing June 24 on a proposal to limit lawn irrigation, the board had decided prior to the meeting to remove key provisions recommended by the town’s Water Advisory Committee, including requiring property owners to adhere to odd/even day watering schedules.
Using odd/even watering schedules, automated irrigation systems are set so they water on odd-numbered days for properties with odd-numbered street addresses and even-numbered days for properties with even-numbered addresses.
But that section had not been removed from the draft of the proposed code before the notice of public hearing went out, leading to confusion among people who showed up to comment on the proposed local law.
“The Water Committee felt a real sense of urgency to preserve water, both its quality and quantity, on the North Fork,” said Committee Chairwoman Kate Daley at the June 24 hearing. “We have many residents who conserve water, but the committee concluded it’s not enough to rely on individual behavior changes. We’re grateful for the work the citizens have done, but all these efforts haven’t done enough to have a strong impact on water conservation.”
Jennifer Hartnagel of the Group for the East End pointed out that the town’s own Comprehensive Plan set odd/even watering restrictions as the first of its irrigation goals.
“This is a no-brainer piece of legislation,” she said at the hearing. “It’s a long time coming. A lot of other towns on Long Island are moving in that direction.”
Glynis Berry of Peconic Green Growth said the odd/even watering schedule “is beneficial and it’s a reduction of the stress on the infrastructure and the rate of simultaneous pumping. It helps mitigate saltwater intrusion.”
Ms. Berry did point out that odd/even watering would have a limited impact on overall water use, since people could easily use more water on the day it’s their turn.
In explaining the Town Board’s rationale for initially removing the odd/even restriction, Town Supervisor Al Krupski said at the hearing that “you will not really reduce the amount of water used, and enforcement will be difficult.”
But he seemed to have a change of heart after listening to the town’s Water Advisory Committee’s plea at its July 10 meeting to return the odd/even section to the proposed law.
“Our committee recommends reinstating odd/even,” said Ms. Daley, adding that the Suffolk County Water Authority already asks its customers to adopt the practice. “At some point in the not-to-distant future, there are going to be far more extreme measures. It’s sending a signal to the community that this is the direction we’re going. Two to five years from now, we’ll be much closer to what other parts of the island are doing that are far more restrictive than this.”
“This was almost a gimme. The Suffolk County Water Authority is already advertising this. Odd/even watering is their personal policy,” added Committee Member Caroline Yates. “It manages the amount of water flowing through the pipes. If 50 percent of the people are not scheduled to water that day, it reduces the peak demand. That’s what the Suffolk County Water Authority has been messaging to us the entire time.”
Mr. Krupski said after the Water Committee meeting that he had expected to hear complaints about the prospect of odd/even watering when the Town Board was considering it, but hadn’t heard any.
“People seem to realize it’s time for this,” he said.
The public hearing will continue this Tuesday, July 22 at the board’s 4:30 p.m. meeting, and the odd/even watering schedule is still in the proposed local law.
The Water Committee had also recommended a prohibition on irrigation between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and is advocating for that restriction to be added to the proposal.
Agricultural operations, residential food gardens, nurseries and garden centers are exempt from the proposed irrigation restrictions.
The law would require that new automatic irrigation systems be installed with weather-based irrigation controllers that prevent irrigation after 1/2 inch of rainfall, and that after a 1/2 inch of rainfall they do not operate for two days.
For existing irrigation systems, it requires that rain sensors or smart controllers be installed within three years.
The proposal also prohibits irrigation systems from watering “paved areas or areas not requiring irrigation,” and allows the Town Board to prevent irrigation “during a period of extreme drought where the danger to Southold Town’s Sole Source Aquifer is most significant.”
People who water their lawns while the town has prohibited irrigation due to drought could be fined up to $1,000.
The text of the proposed local law is on page 7 of the July 22 Town Board meeting agenda.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story stated the Water Committee’s suggestion of a prohibition on watering between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. would be included in the code. While the Water Committee is recommending its inclusion, it is not currently a part of the draft.
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