At its most recent meeting, the Village of Roslyn Board of Trustees once again took up the subject of stormwater pollution in the village.

The BOT has been debating the stormwater situation for over a year and half. In the summer of 1999, it passed a resolution which would give final notice to commercial property owners "discharging illegal groundwater and other encroachments for other than commercial purposes." Much of the problem stems from water at Silver Lake in Roslyn Pond Park flowing into business establishments along Old Northern Boulevard. Many businesses have apparently combated the problem by pumping the water back into the village's sanitary sewage system.

Now, the BOT is debating a new law, one that would impose a capital improvement fee on all approved site plans, single lot developments, and subdivisions located within 1,500 ft. of the high water mark along any village shoreline. All fees will be held in trust in a reserve fund and according to the draft of the law, "shall only be expended for capital improvements establishing stormwater runoff sediment filtration systems."

Under the proposed law, which may still see more revisions, the village engineer and the BOT would reserve the right to review all commercial and residential establishments on a case-by-case basis to determine the impact of such properties on the stormwater situation. The set fee can also be reviewed by the BOT periodically and that body may change the fee at any time to reflect anticipated capital needs or changed conditions.

The BOT decided to consider the law after it determined that the capacity of the village to preserve the quality of water in Silver Lake, Roslyn Creek and Roslyn Harbor is not in line with the projected population growth and development of the village.

"The village," the draft of the states, "recognizes the need to establish a comprehensive sediment filtration system to combat the stormwater runoff pollutant effects upon Roslyn Creek and Roslyn Harbor and its pollutant effects with regard to the infiltration into sub-surface groundwater resulting from development within the village." Hence, the need for capital improvement fees.

Such a fee is necessary, the BOT has also concluded, because the stormwater runoff and its pollutants are having an "adverse effect upon aquatic organisms, recreational activities, groundwaters and wildlife and will require remediation."

James Glalic, a local businessman who owns property in downtown Roslyn, told BOT members that the real pollution problem in the village comes from groundwater emissions. He said that if the proposed law encompasses the groundwater problem, then it would be more helpful to the overall environmental situation in Roslyn. Dealing with stormwater leakage alone won't solve whatever pollutant problems the village has, he added. Mr. Glalic also said, without elaborating, that groundwater pollutants cause safety problems.

Rather than taking a vote on the proposed law, BOT members decided to hold more public hearings at future meetings. Earlier this year, the Town of North Hempstead received a $35,000 state grant concerning stormwater mitigation. The grant would help the TONH prepare a study of the problem, along with final plans and specifications to reduce the volume and improve the quality of stormwater discharge entering Roslyn Creek and Roslyn Pond Park.

In the past, the BOT has considered asking the TONH to calibrate a pump station to measure the stormwater flow between 2 and 4 p.m. on any given day. The TONH is responsible for Silver Lake in Roslyn Park. Previously, the village had tried issuing summonses, setting deadlines and then administering "injunctive relief." However, Mayor Janet Galante has claimed that those measures have never helped to alleviate the problem.

The next BOT meeting will be held Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. at the Village Hall, 1200 Old Northern Blvd.