Dead Rivers, Closed Beaches Highlight Water Crisis On Long Island

OAKDALE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Suffolk County is pushing to replace old cesspools and septic systems with advanced treatment technology, a costly move aimed at saving a way of life literally dying in the ground and in the water.

Take the case of Richard Remmer, whose family harvested shellfish in the Great South Bay for six generations, reports CBS2's Jennifer McLogan.

In 1920, they opened the Snapper Inn in Oakdale, where once every bit of seafood was local.

"Those boats aren't out there anymore," said Remmer. "The clams are virtually gone."

Blame the change on nitrogen from leaky septic tanks flowing into rivers and bays suppressing oxygen, creating harmful algae blooms in which fish die off.

With scant wastewater treatment, Suffolk County sits atop an aquifer that provides virtually all of its drinking water, but the sandy soil allows nitrogen to seep into it.

The water table is so high here that some cesspools sit in water, leaving risky choices.

"Shower or run the diswasher?" said Remmer. "Having a local communion or birthday event? have to first call a company to pump out the cesspools.""

Remmer and his neighbors are desperate for a sewer system where it took more than a century to reach a crisis level. Experts say acting now could solved the problem in just one generation.

"Doing it for my children and future grandchildren," said Christopher Salemi, who is willing to pay the $20,000 for an advanced setup.

The county executive and the governor have earmarked advanced nitrogen reducing septic systems as a top priority for Suffolk, offering grants, subsidies and low interest loans.

"We have to find a way to make sure the homewowner is not saddled with entire burden of financing and installation," said Peter Scully, Suffolk County water czar.

Back in the 1060s and '70s, Suffolk County's sewering projects were mired in corruptiomn and poltical scandal. In the end nothing was done.

"We can no longer have 400,000 people disposing of our untreated sewage in the ground water," said Adrienne Esposito of Citizens Campaign for the Environment.