During this year's election, one ballot proposition in Suffolk County was popular across all parties. Clean water is clearly a priority for an overwhelming majority of voters; nearly 72% of voters approved proposition two.
What is this proposition? Proposition 2 passed the Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Act, which will raise 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 This outdated wastewater infrastructure is the number one source of nitrogen pollution on Long Island, causing harmful algal blooms, fish kills, and declining shellfish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 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 our clean water future. With this source of long-term funding, Suffolk County can now ramp up the existing efforts to upgrade outdated and leaky sewage infrastructure.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 supporterss including Surfrider. Others represented were: 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.
Our chapter activists have been advocating for this proposition since summer 2023. We have testified at multiple Suffolk County meetings and hearings and have educated our audiences and local voters on the importance of this proposition at in-person events and through our online channels. We've also recruited homeowners to display campaign lawn signs and attended press conferences with our coalition partners. You can even catch a glimpse of us during this segment on CBS New York! Scroll through the photos below to see some of our involvement so far.
We are incredibly proud to play a role in this win for our environment. We want to thank our partners at The Nature Conservancy for leading the charge, as well as our other colleagues for banding together. We also want to thank everyone who voted yes for clean water!
