Comments on the Draft Local Waterfront Revitalization Program

Dr. Koppelman suggested that we comment on the Draft Local Waterfront Revitalization Program as part of our Hamlet study. Our study area is essentially the southern part of LID lI of the Brookhaven Town LWRP. The draft LWRP report describes LID II as:

… a diversity of ecologically sensitive areas. The Carmans River system provides valuable fish and wildlife habitats. The river, its wetlands, and associated tributaries (Little Neck Run, Yaphank Creek, Big Fish Creek, and Fish Creek) form an extensive riverine ecosystem. The Carmans River and Beaver Dam Creek are State designated Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitats….

LWRP Boundary in LID II

We would like to see the boundary of the LWRP in LID II follow more closely the boundary of the Town’s Critical Environmental Area. The Town’s CEA boundary in our study area runs eastward along Montauk Highway from the eastern end of Old South Country Road in South Haven, just as does the LWRP boundary. But where the Critical Environmental Area boundary turns northward at Old Town Road and goes to Sunrise Highway, then west to Cemetery Road and finally south to the Bay, the LWRP boundary turns south from Montauk Highway at Old Stump Road to Beaver Dam Road, then west on Beaver Dam to South Country, then southwest toward Bellport. Doing this misses half of the Beaver Dam Creek and all of its headwaters. We would like to recommend changing the LWRP boundary in this area in such a way as to protect the whole Beaver Dam Creek. See Plate 6.

It is interesting to note that in the draft report map showing an overview of all eight LIDs in Brookhaven Town, the boundary line in LID II is shown following Montauk Highway with an northward extension over the headwaters of the Beaver Dam Creek. Was this the original plan? Why was it changed to follow the more southerly Beaver Dam Road? If one of the goals of the LWRP is the preservation of significant environmental resources and ecological habitats, with priority given to the protection of surface waters, then an effort should be made to include the undeveloped, forested headwaters of this tidal creek in the program.

The following quote is from the LIRPBs 1990.pollution control study, also aimed at spurring long-range improvement of water quality in the Great South Bay, under “Recommended Actions’ on the Beaver Dam Creek: