A plan to improve water quality at Havens Beach, where elevated levels of nitrogen and bacteria, including fecal coliform, have concerned residents for decades, had its first public hearing before the Sag Harbor Village Board on July 8.
The project — officially, the Havens Beach Stormwater Watershed Delineation and Conveyance Analysis — aims to analyze the flow of stormwater that drains onto the beach, and to recommend infrastructure improvements to reduce the level of pollutants. It is funded by a grant from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund, and the village has hired H2M Architects and Engineers to conduct the analysis.
“The goal of this initial meeting is to bring this project to the community,” said Lisa Rickmers, H2M’s director of planning, as she began a PowerPoint presentation at Village Hall. “To share what we know already, to explain what the next steps are and what we’re trying to achieve here — but also to solicit input and really encourage the community to engage with this project.”
The current phase, she said, is focused on information-gathering. The engineers already have access to valuable data from previous studies conducted at the beach, notably including the work of Dr. Christopher Gobler of Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. Dr. Gobler has been conducting annual water-quality studies in Sag Harbor, and presenting detailed reports of his findings, since 2018.
Past efforts to address stormwater-management infrastructure at Havens have also been reviewed, stretching back to the village’s adoption of its Local Waterfront Revitalization Program in 1986. That plan mentioned restoring a marsh pond next to the beach to intercept runoff and absorb pollutants, but the suggestion was never realized, nor was a 2012 proposal to create a wetland in the area for the same purpose.
The village did complete a “ditch remediation” project in 2013, widening the drain at the beach and installing a “Smart Sponge Plus” filter, designed to destroy bacteria before it can reach the beach. Data suggested the filtration was “somewhat effective,” Ms. Rickmers said, though she noted that stormwater can overflow a sponge, in which case all excess water passes through untreated. The Smart Sponge system also requires regular maintenance, which has never been done.
In a survey last month, the board asked residents to share concerns about water quality at the beach. An interactive map was included, the better to pinpoint and describe specific issues or such as excessive flooding or illegal dumping. Ms. Rickmers also asked last week’s audience for feedback about any other problems to consider, and suggestions as to how the beach might look in the future.
“Is the beach just a quiet place that you drive to, walk on, maybe wade in the water? Is it a place where you take your kayaks out? Is it a place where you wish there were better facilities for picnicking or showering?” she asked, explaining that such considerations will help shape H2M’s recommendations.
The survey will remain open for the rest of the month, though it could be extended if certain resident demographics, such as age groups or length of residence, are underrepresented.
That data, along with the findings of H2M’s own assessment and analysis of the watershed system, will then be incorporated into H2M’s report, to be presented at a second public hearing tentatively set for August. There, residents will be able to provide a final round of feedback before the plan is finalized.
“We’re very eager to get as much insight as we can,” Ms. Rickmers concluded.
