Sunday
Public Drainage Meeting May 28th
The Town will hold a public meeting on May 28th at 7:00 p.m. at the Northeast Elementary School to discuss the results of its recent drainage survey of the Northeast and explore ideas for relieving the area's problems. Please plan to come to this critical meeting and bring your neighbors.
This is an opportunity to let the Town Board know that we continue to support their efforts to solve our drainage problems. These problems include drainage of stormwater through ditches, pipes, culverts and streams, as well as the drainage of subsurface water that can cause problems with wet basements. It is also an opportunity to let them know of our individual efforts to solve the problems in our homes and on our properties (e.g., installing sump pumps, replacing gutters and downspouts, and putting in drainage tiles to direct excess water into the ditches).
The meeting is another chance to reinforce that the neighborhood is opposed to any new development that will further damage the remaining wetlands and exacerbate existing drainage problems downstream. As you may know, a recent wetlands study conducted by Nick Schipansky for Tompkins County argues that wetlands have a number of important ecological functions; these include the improvement of water quality, reduction of flooding, and prevention of soil erosion. Once destroyed, wetlands cannot perform these important functions and they cannot be replaced by engineering new wetlands because these ecological functions can take up to 100 years to develop. The study also finds that federal, state, and local laws are not adequate for protecting existing wetlands in the county. Among its recommendations, the report suggests that the municipalities work together to pass county-wide regulations for wetland protection.
This is an opportunity to let the Town Board know that we continue to support their efforts to solve our drainage problems. These problems include drainage of stormwater through ditches, pipes, culverts and streams, as well as the drainage of subsurface water that can cause problems with wet basements. It is also an opportunity to let them know of our individual efforts to solve the problems in our homes and on our properties (e.g., installing sump pumps, replacing gutters and downspouts, and putting in drainage tiles to direct excess water into the ditches).
The meeting is another chance to reinforce that the neighborhood is opposed to any new development that will further damage the remaining wetlands and exacerbate existing drainage problems downstream. As you may know, a recent wetlands study conducted by Nick Schipansky for Tompkins County argues that wetlands have a number of important ecological functions; these include the improvement of water quality, reduction of flooding, and prevention of soil erosion. Once destroyed, wetlands cannot perform these important functions and they cannot be replaced by engineering new wetlands because these ecological functions can take up to 100 years to develop. The study also finds that federal, state, and local laws are not adequate for protecting existing wetlands in the county. Among its recommendations, the report suggests that the municipalities work together to pass county-wide regulations for wetland protection.
