Town receives grant to eliminate outfalls, hopes to also find funding for new vacuum truck

Southold Town is receiving $200,000 in grant funding to eliminate outfalls in the town to improve water quality, officials announced at Tuesday’s work session.

The funding will allow the town to remove about 40 outfalls, approximately a third of those left to be done in town, according to engineer Michael Collins. Instead the town will install dry wells or basins to catch the water before it enters local waterways, government liaison officer Denis Noncarrow said.

“This is just so important to prevent road runoff,” Mr. Noncarrow said after the meeting. “When you see what could go into the water this is just such a home run.”

The work will be done by the town’s department of public works, lowering the cost of each replacement and allowing more to be completed. It will take between two and three years to replace all of the remaining outfalls. 

The town also hopes to receive grant funding to purchase a vacuum truck for the highway department. The trucks cost about $400,000 and Southold has purchased only two in the past 25 years, most recently in 2007. The town hopes to improve its chance of winning the grant by illustrating in its application how the funding would improve water quality across the region.

The Town Board also approved a bid to complete concrete work for the proposed pavilion at Tasker Park in Peconic.