It is only legal and proper that these funds be returned so that Suffolk County, including Steven Bellone's office, can focus on the enormous task of dealing with Long Island's water quality issues. With 360,000 septic tanks leeching nitrogenous waste into our ground water, billions will need to be spent on sewering and on modernizing a 19th Century infrastructure. As it stands, our drinking water is threatened, and the polluted ground water is systematically killing all our bays, ponds, and rivers by triggering massive algal blooms. The County cannot ask the public for more money -- a lot more money - on one hand while on the other taking that money out to paper over budget shortfalls. It marks a violation of public trust.
