Suffolk County water quality, Supreme Court ruling on Navajo Nation, and the Greenway Trail

Last chance to give clean water a chance

I know it’s a “Casablanca” moment to claim politics as the reason why Republicans in the Suffolk County Legislature sandbagged the Clean Water Quality Restoration Act, but that seems to be what happened in Riverhead recently “Sewer plan ‘sinking quickly,’ ” News, June 23].

It’s disheartening to see county legislators choose partisan politics over clean water when they voted to table a resolution allowing a referendum to provide funding for homeowners to upgrade old nitrogen-polluting cesspools for low-nitrogen systems that will save our harbors, bays and streams from toxic algae blooms and fish kills.

The one thing that Long Islanders, regardless of political affiliation, agree on is our love of our beaches, harbors and bays. But 10 Republican and Conservative legislators voted to disregard their constituents’ love of water and jeopardize the county’s ability to protect it.

The legislators have one more chance to put the water quality restoration act on the November ballot. But they must act by July 25. Hopefully, they will set aside partisan politics and do the right thing.

— George Hoffman, Setauket

The writer founded the Setauket Harbor Task Force.

The Suffolk County Legislature passed up an opportunity to ensure that our children and their children will enjoy clean, healthy drinking water and clean, clear water in which to swim.

They recessed an act that would have asked county residents in November to approve adding a 0.125% sales tax increase. The money would be restricted to replacing cesspools and septic systems and building and expanding sewers.

All the scientists, experts, and the study that the county legislature endorsed in 2020 say that we need this now.

Addressing the belief that too little money would go toward sewers, Deputy Suffolk County Executive Peter Scully said at the hearing that the combination of funds from the sales tax increase and another fund, the Assessment Stabilization Reserve Fund, would provide $2.1 billion for sewer construction through 2060 so the overall amount “would be roughly divided in half” between the sewers and septic systems.

It took hard-fought state legislation to give Suffolk voters a chance to decide. Instead, we now face the probability of more years passing with little action while our waters remain impure.

I say let the voters decide. It’s the democratic way.

— Stephanie Quarles, Northport

The writer is director of the Suffolk County League of Women Voters.

Court’s water ruling disheartens Navajos

I was disappointed that the Supreme Court recently voted 5-4 against the Navajo Nation in a water rights case rejecting the tribe’s desire to secure more water for its people from the Colorado River “High court rules against Navajos in water case,” Nation, June 23].

It’s such a disparity. Arizona, Colorado and Nevada sought to protect their own access to water from the Colorado River system.

The Navajo Nation is the largest American Indian reservation in the United States. It is home to more than 340,000 people.

The average American household uses approximately 80 to 100 gallons of water per day — the average Navajo household uses approximately seven gallons. Unfortunately, 30% of households on the reservation lack running water.

The court ruled when the Navajo Nation was established in 1868, it included enough water to live on. In this case, the Navajo were asking the federal government to assess how much water the Navajo Nation needs. The government lawyers countered that the treaty didn’t require that, but that didn’t sound like a huge or controversial request.

Being disappointed by the federal government is nothing new in American Indian country.

— Chet Lukaszewski, Huntington

The writer taught a high school American Indian Studies course.

Greenway planners should check Tucson

Expanded trails for Long Island? It’s a good concept, but it seems to always wind up having bad execution [“Major green for Greenway trail,” News, July 2].

All these direct on-road crossings are dangerous and a pain for Rollerbladers and cyclists to brake at.

Planners should see what’s been done with trails in Tucson, Arizona, where bridges and tunnels are used all over. Last year, in a 20-plus-mile Rollerblade outing there, I skated across only one road — going and returning. And the drivers stopped for me.

— Andrew Colen, Coram