Dumping on Suffolk County land nets higher fines under new legislation

Those caught dumping on some Suffolk County public lands would pay larger fines, and those who spot and report the crimes would receive bigger payouts under legislation passed Tuesday.

The Suffolk Legislature voted 18-0 in favor of the so-called “Evergreen Initiative,” intended to prevent dumping in county parks and the pine barrens. The activity is expected to increase when the Brookhaven Town Landfill stops accepting construction and demolition debris later this year.

"It will be more expensive [to dispose of debris] which will make people want to cut corners,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, who pitched the initiative at a December news conference. “It will make it more appealing to try and dump things.”

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said he supports the measure and plans to sign the bill.

"Here in Suffolk County, we have zero tolerance for illegal dumping," Romaine said in a statement. "We are committed to protecting our residents and the environment from the impacts of hazardous waste and materials."

Currently, the maximum fine for illegally dumping construction debris and hazardous waste on county land or in the protected pine barrens by an individual is $10,000 and $15,000 for companies. Whistleblowers who provide information leading to an arrest of a polluter are entitled to 25% of that penalty.

Under the new legislation, the fine would increase to $15,000 for individuals and $25,000 for corporations, with whistleblowers collecting a third of that amount.

Dumping other materials is now a $1,000 fine for an individual and $15,000 for corporations. The new law would raise it to $5,000 for individuals and keep it at $15,000 for corporations.

Dumping in wetlands and the pine barrens, some 105,000 acres of environmentally sensitive land in Riverhead, Brookhaven and Southampton towns, has worsened in recent years, advocates say.

In October, a Holbrook couple agreed to pay a $2,600 fine, fund a cleanup effort and plant 50 trees in the pine barrens after pleading guilty to illegally dumping cinder blocks and concrete near protected wetlands in Mastic Beach. Last month, a Shirley man was charged with Brookhaven Town and county code violations for dumping a 24-foot boat in Manorville.

“Dumping is a problem for not only the preserved open space that we fought so hard to [protect], but also for the possible contamination of the aquifer,” said Nina Leonhardt, board secretary of the Riverhead-based nonprofit Long Island Pine Barrens Society. “Anything that has chemical contaminants can seep right through, percolate through the ground and enter the aquifer.”

Also Tuesday, the legislature:

• Voted 18-0 to confirm Gerard Cook as the new county director of probation. Cook, who previously served as head of Suffolk’s probation department from 2011 to 2012, replaces acting probation director Thomas Branco and will earn a $179,855 annual salary, according to county spokesman Mike Martino.
• Approved $10 million to replace 186 public safety vehicles. The money comes from the general fund.
• Heard from about a dozen preschool special education professionals urging them to raise the $45 half-hour reimbursement rate for their services, which is set by the county and has not changed in about 30 years. Providers, who address physical, cognitive or behavioral delays for preschoolers, say Nassau and Suffolk counties have the lowest rates in the state.

“Our pay rate has been stuck in the days of the Spice Girls and the Backstreet Boys,” said Elizabeth Shedlow, a speech language pathologist. “The cost of living, on the other hand, continues to go up and up and up.”

Newsday has reported there are hundreds of preschoolers on a wait list for services due in part to the low pay. 

By Vera Chinese

vera.chinese@newsday.com@VeraChinese

Vera Chinese covers Suffolk County government and politics. She joined Newsday in 2017 after working as an editor for the East End lifestyle publication northforker and a general assignment reporter for the New York Daily News.