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To: NYS Senate and Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee Members
RE: Bill S4214-2015 - Act to amend
the Environmental Conservation Law in relation to the operation of certain inactive wells
Honorable Sirs and Madams: The Coalition of Nassau Civic Associations ("CONCA") agrees with the core objective and intent of Bill S4214-2015 (the "Bill"), namely, to protect Nassau County's sole source aquifer system. However, the Bill seems to accede New York City reopening its shuttered wells, providing there is an environmental review. Comprehensive environmental studies evince over-pumping the Magothy and Lloyd Aquifers leads to irreversible problems including, but not limited to, saltwater intrusion. Billions of gallons of water are pumped each year from the aquifer system beneath Nassau County. Insufficient recharge will cause the saltwater-freshwater interface to migrate landward, eventually resulting in irreversible saltwater intrusion and respective well contamination. Nassau, supporting a population of over 1.3 million, is already over-pumping its aquifer system as it is. The aquifer system in Nassau cannot support pumping an additional 33 million gallons of water daily to 2.3 million people in Queens. In fact, the wells in Queens were initially closed because pumping them was causing saltwater intrusion in western Nassau in the late 1970's and into the early 1980's; and to reopen them would undoubtedly produce the same result again today. Therefore, in keeping with the objective and intent of the Bill, CONCA proposes it: (i) mandate the shuttered wells in Queens be forever abandoned; and, likewise, (ii) forever prohibit the issuance of permits to re-open these wells. Further, we respectfully request that the NYS Assembly introduce similar legislation. Very truly yours, Coalition of Nassau Civic Associations The Coalition of Nassau Civic Associations ("CoNCA") is a non-partisan coalition of civic associations. There are currently 10 directors, each of whom are elected by the civic leaders in the regions they represent. The regions are divided according to current Assembly lines to ensure a relatively equal population in each region. CoNCA strives to be the voice of the people and thus, by its structural governance, acts on a majority vote from its member civics. |
