Environmental Concerns
- Environmental Concerns with Proposed Indian Hills Country Club Development in Fort Salonga
This proposed high density cluster development adjoins “Fresh Pond Greenbelt” a Suffolk County designated Critical Environmental Area and is also in The Crab Meadow Watershed area
* 29,750 gallons per day of sewage will be added to the groundwater and into the fragile Crabmeadow watershed area ( scroll down to bottom of page to watch Long Islands ecosystem video) This will add excessive nitrogen levels which will impact and weaken the salt marsh ecosystem and cause potential salt marsh collapse. Excessive nitrogen flowing into the LI sound will also result in low oxygen in the water causing fish and other marine animal die off as seen in Peconic Bay Spring during 2016 ( see photos gallery bottom of page) Excessive Nitrogen loading is the cause of Red, Brown and Rust Tides and poisonous Algal blooms creating Saxitoxin poisoning , a paralytic shellfish poisoning which can bring about gastrointestinal illnesses in humans. Some algal blooms are so toxic as to cause death in a dog after it walked through the algal bloom .Excessive nitrogen (Nitrates) in our drinking water can cause many illnesses in humans and wildlife, with examples ranging from reproductive problems to various cancers , to methyglobinemia also known as Blue Baby syndrome in our children . Nitrate contamination in groundwater causes decreased oxygen carrying capacity of the haemoglobin in babies and can lead to death.
* The Greatly Expanded Ponds on the golf course will be used to catch contaminated run off . The pond system flows into Fresh Pond which in turn flows out to the L.I.Sound so that pesticides, fertilizers and other dangerous pollutants will go directly into our waterways affecting recreational and commercial fisheries, oyster farming , clamming ,recreational boating and result in beach closures.
*Soil Movement , 277,00cubic yards (27,000 dump trucks ) will be moved to create new irrigation "ponds" replacing the existing well water irrigation system
* Cluster building will Disturb , Contaminate, and harm NYSDEC wetlands.
* Building Project will physically disturb 52.26 acres of property
* 16.63 acres of Forest will be deforested and cleared
* 11 acres of new impervious surfaces will be constructed, creating significant runoff to our surface waters and/or ground water
* Installation of building and ground lights will cause
significant light pollution and glare in a dark skies area
*Reduction of Golf Fairways/driving range areas by 6.16 acres
*Noise and Construction vehicle traffic will increase during Extended Construction hours of 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m over an unknown period of time.
* Exacerbate erosion of bluff, bluff is eroding 5-6 feet per year. The bluff is a unique geologic feature ( see photos in gallery for an example of this on the Indian Hills Golf Course Property). According to the 2006 Town of Huntington, NY Beach Erosion Study Report, the area historically known as Broken Ground, which is the bluff on the Indian Hills Golf Course , has a history of substantial slope failures most likely related to a weak underlying clay layer. The visible evidence of a deep seated failure plane is a scarp about 2000 feet long that extends inland 500 feet at its maximum. This area is described as the most prominent landslide region on the North Shore. The bluff at Indian Hills Golf Course is expected to continue to have soil movement issues."While there are both structural and non structural measures that can be implemented to reduce the likelihood or rate of soil movement , an engineering solution to provide long term stability may not be feasible." During the construction of the sea wall the bluff eroded by 4 vertical feet over a period of 2 years. It is irresponsible to propose a major development near to this most sensitive of areas.
Protection of Wildlife
River otters have recently recolonized in Fresh Pond , Crab Meadow wetlands and the Makamah Preserve. This video taken Spring 2021, is of a pair of river otter in Fresh Pond feeding on fish . Cluster building on the Indian Hills Golf Course will Disturb , Contaminate, and harm NYSDEC wetlands and jeopardize this newly established river otter population.
Photo Gallery
What is allowed to take place on land surface eventually makes it way into our groundwater and waterways.
Why is The Crab Meadow Watershed so Important
Crab Meadow Wetlands and Beach is designated by the Department of State as a “Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitat” because it provides habitat for a variety of fish and wildlife species.
Crab Meadow contains one of the few large areas of undeveloped salt marsh (approx. 300 acres) on the North Shore of Long Island and is a productive area for finfish, shellfish, and crustaceans.
Crab Meadow Wetlands and Beach provides nesting and feeding habitat for piping plover and least tern and feeding grounds for herons, egrets, gulls, plovers, sandpipers, and northern harrier throughout much of the year.
The tidal creek channels at Crab Meadow serve as nursery and feeding areas for many species, and as conveyors of organic matter and nutrients from the marsh into the Sound.
Crab Meadow Wetlands provide marshland grasses which help protect shoreland areas from ever increasing storm events to prevent major flooding disasters to our homes and property
Marshlands, sea and marsh grasses are endangered by over development and nitrogen overload. Extinction of seagrass predicted by 2030 by the NYSDEC
Marine Nursery
Flood Hazard Zone- Fort Salonga
Floodplains map (click here to enlarge) -Wetlands and marsh grasses function as natural sponges that trap and slowly release surface water, rain, snow melt, groundwater and flood waters. The holding capacity of wetlands helps control floods. Protecting wetlands and marsh grasses from nitrogen overload is imperative to protect our properties from flood damage. Limiting Development in Fragile Watershed areas is essential for the protection of our wetlands (notice coastal erosion HAZARD zone ,black and white line,is where developer wants to place some cluster homes on bluff by LI sound)
The Crab Meadow Watershed Hydrology Study
The Crabmeadow Watershed Hydrology study is currently underway with the objective of understanding the environmental drivers and stressors (overdevelopment, pollution etc. ) within the crabmeadow watershed . The purpose of this study is to perform a prelimnary hydrology analysis that characterizes the watershed, describes its flow patterns, and identify potential flooding impacts to help identify the drivers and stressors to this unique ecosystem with the intent of protecting its vitality through implementation of a communty-based Stewardship Plan. The FSPOA is asking our elected officials in the TOH to delay ANY consideration for change of zone in this fagile , environmentally sensitive area until The Crab Meadow Watershed Hydrology Study is COMPLETE Click here to learn more about The Crab Meadow Watershed Hydrology study
Crabmeadow Watershed
Community meeting on Crab Meadow watershed. Click arrow for video to begin
L.I. Fragile Ecosystem Video
Water matters. Click arrow for video to begin
Long Island Sound Study
click here to learn about The Stewardship Initiative.
This Stewardship Area is made up of Crab Meadow Wetlands and Beach and Eatons Neck Point. Crab Meadow is owned by the Town of Huntington, and is bordered by undeveloped woodland, county parkland and a golf course to the south and east, seasonal homes along the barrier beach to the north, and low density residential development to the west. is designated by the Department of State as “Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitat” because it is one of a few large areas of undeveloped salt marsh ecosystem remaining on the North Shore of Long Island.