Town Passes Expansion of Water Quality Improvement Grants for Septic Improvement • Southampton, NY
SOUTHAMPTON, NY — At the March 10th Town Board Meeting, the Southampton Town Board, led by Councilmember Michael Iasilli, passed an update to the Community Preservation Fund (CPF) Water Quality Improvement Project Plan. The proposed resolution, RES 2026-0565, expands priority area maps to follow Suffolk County standards, significantly increasing the number of residents eligible for Innovative and Alternative (I/A) sanitary system grant funding. The proposal has unanimous support from the Board.
The initiative stems from a 2015 state legislative amendment that allows the Town to utilize up to 20% of annual CPF revenues for Water Quality Improvement Projects. Since the program’s inception following a 2016 public referendum, the Town has remained committed to upgrading local infrastructure to protect its vital water resources. Additionally, with the passage of the Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Act in 2024, this update helps to keep the Town in line with efforts to modernize wastewater infrastructure and reduce nitrogen pollution on a more streamlined scale.
Significantly, this new framework abolishes the previous two-tier system, which often resulted in a separate distribution of resources. Under the former structure, certain geographical areas were designated for prioritization, allowing projects within those zones to receive faster review and funding allocation. Conversely, projects in non-prioritized areas were frequently subjected to a lengthy process, often delaying water quality improvements.
The revised program establishes a single, unified priority zone. This fundamental change ensures that all qualifying projects, regardless of their specific location within the program’s jurisdiction, are evaluated against the same criteria. The objective is to foster equitable access to grant funds and accelerate the implementation of projects.
“This is a critically important step toward nitrogen reduction and improving water quality for more people in the town,” said Councilmember Michael Iasilli, the lead sponsor of the resolution who also serves as the Local Government Committee Chair of Peconic Estuary Partnership. “More so, we are now able to provide greater grant funding opportunities to residents seeking to upgrade outdated septic systems. A special thanks to Planning Administrator Scherer and CPF Director Fenlon for coordinating and working together on this crucial update,” he said.
The proposed update was developed with input from water quality improvement advocates and through a collaborative effort between the Department of Land Management, the CPF Department, the Water Quality Advisory Committee, and the Town’s GIS Manager. By expanding the priority area maps, the Town now aims to address nitrogen loading more aggressively across a broader geographic range.
