A once-tabled discussion about stormwater runoff in Sag Harbor’s Azurest neighborhood has re-emerged this month, and village officials seem poised to reopen the dormant studies.
While much has been made about water quality around Windmill and Havens Beaches, it was not until last week that Azurest itself came back up.
John Parker, a longtime member of the harbor committee, where he currently serves as an alternate, told the village board on Sept. 8 that “there have been complaints” in that area about stormwater, which drains “right to the beach.” He said residents are afraid to swim there and called the outflow area “dark and dirty-looking.”
A place where people swim is not the right place for stormwater, he added. The outflow needs to be contained, slowed down, and redirected, he said, but a feasibility study aimed at the surrounding neighborhood must be commissioned first. (A study of Havens Beach is already in the works.)
Some nearby streets have no drains, allowing uncontrolled runoff, while others have them in the wrong places. Among other solutions, Mr. Parker suggested that leaching pools could help filter some of the water before it hits the outflow pipe.
Ten years ago, which was some time before he took office, said Mayor Tom Gardella, he and John Shaka, currently a member of the zoning board of appeals, presented a plan to study the stormwater runoff. The pair identified as many as 28 approaches to mitigate the flooding and contamination, and, with the help of East Hampton Town, it was undertaken.
About four years ago, however, following disagreement on some of the design elements, East Hampton stopped funding the project. “The rug got pulled out from under us,” Mayor Gardella said, recalling that “the community was very upset when that project was stopped.”
Now, however, the town may be more inclined to partner with the village, he said.
Mary Ann Eddy, a longtime member of the harbor committee, remembered more details of that past push to control runoff from the neighborhood. The engineering firm Nelson Pope Voorhis compiled data on the systems then in place, she said, and “that data is somewhere, and the village paid for it.”
The mayor commented that Mark Wagner of the engineering firm IMEG was ready to prepare a cost estimate for a new study. As for where the money would come from, Aidan Cornish, a board member, suggested applying for funding through East Hampton’s community preservation fund, or applying to the state for a grant. Mr. Parker said some civic groups in the village might also be willing to help raise funds.
“I’m willing to push whatever you need from the village to get this done,” Mayor Gardella told Mr. Parker.
While board members all agreed that action is needed on the Azurest streets, some worried that Mr. Parker’s plan could be duplicating the current Havens Beach study.
“It’s identical” to the study of Havens Beach, which is being done by H2M Architects + Engineers, a Melville engineering firm, said Deputy Mayor Jeanne Kane. She said she does not oppose the Azurest study, but “We need to be coordinated.”
“Hopefully we can combine these efforts,” remarked Bob Plumb, a board member.
Aidan Cornish, also a trustee, called Mr. Parker’s proposed study “a very specific project” focusing on a small area of the village, and said it would eventually be incorporated into the larger beach project, which is expected to have a public hearing in the coming months.
