During this year's election, one ballot proposition in Suffolk County, New York on Long Island was popular across the political spectrum. Nearly 72% of voters showed their overwhelming support for clean water by voting "Yes" on ballot proposition two.
What Does Prop 2 Promise? Proposition 2 passed the Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Act, which raises sales tax in Suffolk County by 0.125% to create a long-term funding source for upgrading cesspools, septics, and inadequate sewer systems. This outdated wastewater infrastructure is the number one source of nitrogen pollution on Long Island, causing harmful algal blooms, fish deaths, and declining shellfish populations. Efforts to replace cesspools and septics and to expand sewage lines have been limited thus far because of the high cost and a major gap in available funding.
Sales tax in Suffolk County will now increase from 8.625% to 8.75%. On a $100 purchase, that's only an extra 12 cents, but the tax is projected to generate nearly $4 billion over the next 35 years. This is a much-needed and significant investment towards a healthy, clean water future on Long Island. With this source of long-term funding, Suffolk County can now ramp up the existing efforts to upgrade outdated and leaky sewage infrastructure. Plus, it makes the county eligible for matching funds from state and federal programs.
This effort was led for years by our partners at The Nature Conservancy, who spearheaded a strong coalition of environmental NGOs including Surfrider. Additional representation includes: Citizen's Campaign for the Environment, Concerned Citizens of Montauk, Group for the East End, Peconic Baykeeper, Seatuck, Save the Great South Bay, Save the Sound, and more.
The Eastern Long Island Chapter activists have been advocating for this proposition for over a year. They have testified at multiple county and public hearings and have educated their audiences and local voters on the importance of this proposition at in-person events and through their online channels. They've also recruited homeowners to display campaign lawn signs locally and have attended press conferences with coalition partners. You can even catch a glimpse of chapter members during this segment on CBS New York!
The Surfrider Foundation is incredibly proud to play a role in this win for clean water and healthy coastal ecosystems. We want to thank our partners at The Nature Conservancy for leading the charge, as well as our coalition partners for banding together. We also want to thank everyone in Suffolk County who voted for clean water this past election!
