The C.E.S.S.P.O.O.L. Project (Coordinated Environmental Solutions for Septic Problems Occurring On Long Island) is a joint effort by the Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee, the Manhasset Bay Protection Committee, the Oyster Bay / Cold Spring Harbor Protection Committee, the Friends of the Bay, the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor and the Town of Oyster Bay to raise awareness of the problems with unmaintained cesspools and septic tanks and to provide tools to homeowners to properly understand and maintain them.
While most of Nassau County is sewered, most of the north shore of the county is still on cesspools or septic tanks, most of which are not being properly maintained. Failure to properly maintain them can not only lead to costly replacements but collectively contribute nitrogen and bacteria to our bays and harbors, decreasing our quality of life and our property values. Since cesspools and septic systems are “out of sight, out of mind”, very little attention was being focused on the problems and homeowners did not know where to turn and who to trust even if they wished to do the right thing. That realization led to the creation of the C.E.S.S.P.O.O.L. Project.
The project started with the hiring of a professional polling organization to contact north shore homeowners to ascertain how much they knew about their septic systems, what would best incentivize them to properly maintain them, and how best to get the information to them.
This was followed by hiring a consultant to help prepare an educational campaign to develop a logo, a slogan (“Get Pumped! L.I.”), a website, social media presence, brochures, postcards and fact sheets.
Both of the above efforts were funded primarily by grants which were administered by the Town of Oyster Bay.
For much more information, go to www.getpumpedli.org