News

Town considers permeable pavement to reduce pollutants

Southold Land preservation committee chairman John Sepenoski, town planner Mark Terry and town engineer Jamie Richter discussed plans with the Town Board to restructure road ends around Richmond, Goose and Mattituck creeks using permeable pavement.

The goal is to prevent contaminants carried by stormwater runoff from polluting local creeks and bays.

Mr. Terry said the state Environmental Facilities Corp. has a new grant program that pays 90 percent of the costs, leaving the town to pay 10 percent.

The plan is to excavate the road ends to 18 inches, put in 12 inches of gravel and top that with six inches of porous pavement. Town workers would also create shallow swales along the edges of the road ends.

Board member Louisa Evans of Fishers Island would like to include road ends there in the project, but they are not next to water bodies that are impaired enough to need rehabilitation in order to meet federal municipal stormwater regulations.

The town needs to submit its grant application by Oct. 31.

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