Sewer District Plan for Sayville-Bayport Moving Forward

A proposal to build a sewer treatment district to serve the communities of West Sayville, Sayville, Bayport and Oakdale is moving forward, according to Assemblyman Andrew Garbarino who provided an update on the effort to the Bayport Civic Association Tuesday night.

Funding has been secured to conduct a planning study and officials are already discussing potential sites. If all goes as scheduled public comment on the project could happen next Spring and a required public vote could be held by the end of 2014, said Garbarino.

“This is the furthest a sewer district project has ever gotten for our south shore,” he said, adding that it would be a benefit for local business downtown areas, residents and the water quality of the Great South Bay.

“This [a sewer district] allows you to do more with your property, and it helps chambers draw in more businesses and it raises property values,” he said, noting that current Suffolk County health department building regulations on current cesspool systems can be a huge hindrance to property owners and in enticing new business.

The low water table in the Oakdale-Sayville vicinity has put the communities on the top 10 list of potential sewer projects in the state, according to Garbarino, and the project is eligible for state funding and federal grants for the planning aspect. 

The sewer district proposal is a collaborative effort by state and Town of Islip officials, noted Garbarino.

He attended the civic meeting to give residents a update as he believes it’s vital to get community support early on in the project.

“The town has taken this by the horns and we want to be as open as possible,” he said.

“This is still in the early stages but it’s important to let people know what’s going on,” he said.

The study, which will be launched once a consulting firm has been chosen, will examine how big a district is needed and potential locations.

“Some sites have been discussed,” he said, declining to elaborate, noting the study will examine those potential sites at length.

If built, residents and businesses have the option of joining the district and hooking up to the system, said Garbarino. 

Sewer district members would pay a fee for use, he added. How much that fee would be won’t be determined until the project scope and costs of the build are mapped out, he explained.

One audience member at the civic meeting contested the claim a sewer district would improve the quality of bay water, noting the top pollutants to the bay is pesticide runoff from lawns as well as pollutants used around homes and businesses.