This is the first in a series on the history of train services on the East End, and the numerous changes the industry brought to Riverhead and the North Fork.

“It took them 10 years to go from the foot of the East River in Brooklyn to Greenport,” said Don Fisher, president of the Railroad Museum of Long Island in Riverhead.

The Manorville Station stop was originally called St. George’s Manor and opened in 1844. Local history holds that the first station agent, Seth Raynor, was a patriot from the revolutionary war. The story goes that he painted over the “St. George’s” because it reminded him of the king, leaving just “Manor.”

The stop was little more than a refueling station, since there was no town to speak of at that time. Woodcutters would cut timber and stock it next to the tracks, as these trains ran on wood and not coal. There was also a water tower to replenish the steam engine’s supply.

“It was important stop for them to pick up water and wood on their way to make steam to propel trains out to Greenport. Though it was a fueling depot … it also became an important station,” said Mr. Fisher. “Manorville was really just a clearing in the woods where the train would stop, take on water. The local people would sell them firewood.”

In 1869, Manorville station became the western end of the Sag Harbor branch, a line that was extended through Eastport to the south shore. This was to outmaneuver the South Side Railroad, which ran from Brooklyn to Patchogue and had planned to extend out the South Fork. 

“The Long Island Rail Road said, ‘Hey, we got to make a right hand turn here. We’ve got to get in front of the South Side Railroad so that they can’t proceed from Patchogue out to Sag Harbor.’ And that’s what they did,” said Mr. Fisher. The track ran through the South Fork towns and ended in Sag Harbor.

Manorville also featured a special feature of railroad engineering called a wye. It consists of a triangle of tracks with a switch at each corner, where an engineer can navigate around the triangle to reverse direction. 

“You can imagine a train coming along, going up the right-side angle to the top point,”said Mr. Fisher. “He stops his train, he backs on down to the left-hand point, which is going Greenport. Now the train is facing New York City. And you can go across the base of the triangle with your train and go all the way back to Ronkonkoma … [to] get back into the city. If you’ve got the acreages, the land, that’s very inexpensive to make those three tracks and build a wye.”

This feature allowed the railroad to operate what was known as the “Greenport Scoot,” a train that ran from Greenport to Manorville and then all the way to Sag Harbor.

“Manorville, at this point, was very important as a communications loop for people to go from the shipping and the whale industry out of Greenport to the shipping and whale industry down in Sag Harbor. You [could] go back and forth and you didn’t have to take a boat,” said Mr. Fisher. “That opened up all kinds of opportunities for families to move back and forth.”

The mail was carried by horse or stagecoach until 1908, when the Manorville Post Office opened near the train stop. Around this time, the station name officially changed to Manorville. 

The station building was torn down and replaced with a shelter in 1941, and by 1949 the branch was abandoned. In 1968 the stop was officially discontinued.

“It was very lightly used by the 1940s. Railroading is a business, and any place that they can save money and pare off maintenance costs, they’re gonna do it.” Mr. Fisher said. “I think today, in hindsight, they wish they had it.”

Other stories in the Keeping Track of History series:

Wading River Station

Calverton Station

Riverhead Station

North Fork stations

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The ranch is accused of neglecting to provide adequate food, water, shelter and veterinary care for these animals, according to a news release from Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney’s office.

“No matter what name it operates under, a ‘sanctuary’ is not a sanctuary when it becomes a place of suffering,” said Mr. Tierney in the press release. “Our commitment to protecting animals is unwavering.”

Double D Bar Ranch was founded by Richard and Gay Devoe more than 30 years ago with the intent of providing a sanctuary for abused and unwanted farm animals. After Ms. Devoe passed away in June 2024, Mr. Devoe launched a GoFundMe campaign a few months later urging the public to donate to the nonprofit organization.

At the time, he stated that he was “on the verge of losing” his house on the ranch and needed help “catching up on mortgage payments.” Mr. Devoe has not yet responded to a request for comment.

The investigation began early last month when Suffolk County Police Department detectives alerted the district attorney’s Biological, Environmental and Animal Safety Team — known as BEAST — about their daily visits to Double D Bar Ranch after receiving numerous complaints regarding the animals’ welfare on the property — concerns that were predominantly fueled by the “frigid, sub-zero temperatures” during that time, the news release said.

Once detectives were on the property, they claimed to witness hundreds of animals with improper shelter and no access to liquid water. Some of the animals were allegedly found deceased and several animals had untreated medical conditions, such as dental disease, tumors, matting, open wounds, lameness, respiratory infections, arthritis, emaciation, swollen body parts, and overgrown hooves, claws, and nails, according to Mr. Tierney’s office.

“When those who claim to provide care instead allow neglect and cruelty, we will take necessary action,” Mr. Tierney stated. “This prosecution reflects our dedication to ensuring that no animal is left to suffer without food, water, shelter or medical attention.”

BEAST detectives then spent several weeks collaborating with various public and private partners to triage the animals, which included “hundreds of hours” of these detectives working on the premises personally tending to the animals’ needs.

An appearance ticket was issued to the ranch owners on Feb. 11, and dozens of animals have since been removed from the property. Remediation efforts at the ranch are ongoing, according to the news release.

In addition to the 112 charges issued by the district court, BEAST prosecutors requested two court orders — both of which were granted — to require Double D Bar Ranch to not take in any more animals while the case is pending. Law enforcement will also continue to monitor the welfare of the animals that remain at the ranch.

Several organizations, businesses and offices were involved in the investigation, including Humane Long Island, Mattituck Laurel Veterinary Hospital and Suffolk County Farm / Cornell Cooperative Extension.

“Over the past few weeks, Humane Long Island, in cooperation with the Suffolk County DA’s Office, has removed dozens of turkeys, peafowl, ducks, chickens, and geese from this [alleged] hoarder, provided them with food, water, and medical care, and are rehabilitating them for placement at reputable sanctuaries who will give them the care that they desperately need,” said John Di Leonardo, the group’s executive director, in an emailed statement.

The next court date for Double D Bar Ranch is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 26, at Suffolk 1st District Court in Islip.

“We are grateful to our many partners, law enforcement and beyond, who stepped in and stepped up for these animals,” Mr. Tierney said in the news release.

This story has been updated.

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Mr. Heuermann, 60, of Massapequa Park, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Riverhead Thursday before State Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei for the deaths of Ms. Taylor and Ms. Costilla. The latest charges expand the timeline of Mr. Heuermann’s alleged killings to nearly 17 years, and widen the radius of where he allegedly dumped remains by more than 40 miles. Mr. Heuermann was charged for the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello and Megan Waterman last July. In January, he was charged for the killing of Maureen Brainard-Barnes. The remains of those four women were recovered along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach between the fall of 2010 and spring of 2011. The time of their deaths range from July 2007 to September 2010.

Dozens of reporters from national and international news outlets crowded into a press conference following Mr. Heuermann’s arraignment, during which Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney stood alongside law enforcement personnel from the county police and sheriff’s departments, New York State Police and the FBI, all of which participated in the decade’s Gilgo Beach investigation that has intensified in recent months.

Despite the completion of the grand jury case involving the initial “Gilgo four,” law enforcement officials had pledged to continue investigating. “At that time, we said that we were going to continue to investigate this case, that the grand jury with regard to the ‘Gilgo four’ is over, but the case continues, criminal prosecution continues, the investigation continues,” Mr. Tierney said. “The investigation has been expanded to the bodies that were found on Gilgo and beyond. That’s what we said, and I think that has come to fruition today with these two new charges.”

The evidence linking Mr. Heuermann, a Manhattan architect, to the death of Ms. Taylor includes a male human hair discovered on a surgical drape found beneath her remains, eyewitness accounts of dark-colored Chevrolet pickup truck near the site of Ms. Taylor’s dismembered body that match a 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche pickup truck Mr. Heuermann purchased and phone records.

In April, Gilgo Beach Task Force investigators along with K-9 units searched a densely wooded portion of Manorville where the partial remains of Ms. Taylor were discovered in 2003. Thursday morning, Mr. Tierney referred to the recent search of the “area of interest” as a “necessary investigative step.”

Two months ago, police also searched a wooded area in Southampton where Ms. Costilla’s body was found. Law enforcement originally suspected Ms. Costilla’s death was related to the murders of two other women, Colleen McNamee and Rita Tangredi. John Bittrolff is currently serving a 50-years-to-life prison sentence for the murders of those women, but was never charged with Ms. Costilla’s death. A recent DNA analysis of a male hair found on Ms. Costilla’s body excluded 99.96% of North America’s population as its source, but not Mr. Heuermann. A similar analysis in 2014 excluded Mr. Bittrolff as the source of the DNA evidence.

A handful of family members of Mr. Heuermann’s alleged victims attended the press conference Thursday. Attorney Gloria Allred, who is representing the families of some of the Gilgo victims, read a statement prepared by Ms. Taylor’s mother, Elizabeth Baczkiel.

“Jessica was loving and compassionate and so funny,” Ms. Allred read. “She loved to make people laugh; she could always make people laugh. She tried very hard in school … I miss how she called me ‘Mommy’ and ‘Mama.’ It’s a tragedy she never had children. Jessica would have made a great mother. She loved kids and loved working with them. She worked in the inner city with the kids in summer camp as an aide. She loved supporting kids and helping to take care of them.”

Following Ms. Baczkiel’s statement, Ms. Taylor’s cousin, Jasmine Robinson also spoke.

“This year has been 21 years since she was taken from us, longer than the chance that she got to be alive,” Ms. Robinson said. “I can’t express what this day means, after waiting and hoping for answers. I’m incredibly grateful to the entire task force for the dedication and integrity that they have provided and put into this investigation. I have full faith that they will continue to provide answers for other victims and their families.”

In a bail application released Thursday morning, prosecutors for the first time linked the killing of Valerie Mack, whose remains were also found both near Gilgo Beach and in Manorville, to Mr. Heuermann. The court document outlines the task force’s digital discoveries, including a word document labeled “HK2002-04,” which the Gilgo Beach Task Force considers Mr. Heuermann’s blueprint to “plan out” his “kills.” The word document features the phrases “DS-1, Mill Rd.” and “DS-2, ??????” under a heading labeled “DS” which is thought to be an “acronym for ‘dump site,’” according to the court document. Partial remains of both Ms. Taylor and Ms. Mack were discovered in “the vicinity of Mill Road” in Manorville and along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach.

During Thursday’s press conference, Mr. Tierney said it would be “fair to say,” Mr. Heuermann is a suspect in Ms. Mack’s death, but he is not facing charges in her killing at this time.

Following the press conference, Mr. Heuermann’s defense attorney, Michael J. Brown, said his client was “horrified” by the new charges related to his alleged fifth and sixth victims. The attorney added that he only learned of the suspected planning document and other new discoveries yesterday morning, and said he must “explore and examine the evidence.”

Mr. Heuermann’s next court appearance is scheduled for July 30.

“It’s two additional murder charges, the allegations were obviously very disturbing today,” Mr. Brown said. “But I haven’t seen anything. We’ll do the best to review it and prepare a defense.”

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It is undetermined how long the search will last, but a Riverhead News-Review reporter on the scene spotted multiple police vehicles and K-9 units this afternoon. Patrons at the nearby Maples Bar on Ryerson Avenue said they saw police, state troopers and sheriffs searching around the area on Tuesday as well.

Approximately 15 police vehicles were parked at the Manorville Fire Department Wednesday afternoon, as officials took a break. The search started again around 2 p.m. and officers began canvasing the wooden region west of Schultz Road.

Several area media outlets have reported the search may be in connection with Gilgo Beach homicide investigation.

“The Suffolk County Police Department, the New York Police Department and the New York State Police are working with the District Attorney’s Office on an ongoing investigation,” the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. “We do not comment on investigative steps while they are underway. We will make further statements when appropriate.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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The foundation uses funds raised by events, such as its gala, to award scholarships and grants to young people, and to continue raising awareness of the dangers of drunk and drugged driving. It was created in memory of 12-year-old Andrew McMorris, who was killed by a drunk driver while hiking with Boy Scout Troop 161 in Manorville in September 2018.

“We weren’t done parenting Andrew, so we have put our pain to purpose and our grief to action by parenting his legacy,” said his mother, Alisa McMorris. “This evening we are honoring Andrew’s life and his love of aviation.”

Saturday’s event is billed as a trip back in time to the Stage Door Canteen with a 1940s flair. According to a release from the foundation, “Andrew’s parents, John and Alisa, have put their son’s fun-loving spirit into every element of the event, from the beverages by Mingle Mocktails, to the menu choices by Phillip Stone Caterers, to the set list by One More Once Jazz Ensemble, who’ll be headlining the evening with Big Band favorites.” 

The foundation is very much a family operation, and the evening’s entertainment will feature a star, the releases stated. Students from the musical theater program at Rider University, where Andrew’s sister Arianna is a senior, will perform along with Carter Rubin, who won season 19 of NBC’s “The Voice,” and other surprise guests.

The gala will honor Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr.; 2023 Legislators of the Year state Sen. Anthony Palumbo and Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio; and Volunteers of the Year, local photographers Gabrielle Marazzo and Douglas Simpkins of In Focus LTD and the Cintorino and Coogan families. 

The foundation’s mission is to honor the life of Andrew McMorris by creating opportunities for education, scholarships, advocacy and change that make a meaningful impact on the lives of others.

This past June, the foundation awarded over 40 scholarships and grants totaling over $20,000 to young people who have passions similar to Andrew’s, such as music, aeronautics, Scouting and art. All proceeds raised at the gala will support the foundation’s mission.

Ticket sales closed Sept. 25, but donations can be made online at AndrewMcMorrisFoundation.org. 

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“This is hazardous waste,” she said. “I am outraged that anyone be allowed to dump their hazardous waste in our town.

“There is no such authorized site in Manorville or anywhere else in the Town of Riverhead — or anywhere on Long Island for the matter — because we are over a sole source aquifer,” she added.

Michael Flynn, president and founder of Eastern Environmental Systems, said in an interview Friday that his company, located on Line Road in Manorville, is a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation licensed transporter. 

“We were contacted by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection on the day of the fire, and we coordinated with the DEP and the building’s owners,” Mr. Flynn said. 

He said his company removed the lithium ion batteries and secured them into special drums that will be transported to a facility in Connecticut. 

The issue first came up during a Town Board work session on June 29 when board members discussed enacting a law requiring all lithium battery powered items sold within the town to be in compliance with Underwriters Laboratories safety standards. 

The subject of the New York City fire arose when town fire marshal Andrew Smith mentioned that the remains from that Manhattan fire were being brought to a firm in Manorville — and that those remains had caught fire twice while they were being transported. 

Mr. Flynn confirmed this. The first time, he said, a drum containing lithium ion batteries that had been “moisture impacted” caught fire. That blaze was quickly put out because the New York City Fire Department was still on the scene. 

The second time the lithium ion material caught fire, it was extinguished by the Nassau County fire marshal. The material had been turned over to Nassau County and was repackaged before making its way to Manorville. 

“They are a challenge,” Mr. Flynn said of the lithium ion batteries. “We get calls every single day of the week to transport and dispose of batteries.”

He said the batteries they receive are packaged and taken to a facility in Connecticut. He noted that lithium ion is most dangerous when it gets wet.

A statement issued Friday by the state DEC said that EES “has a current DEC Part 364 permit that allows the facility to transport hazardous waste, non-hazardous commercial waste, waste oil, petroleum contaminated soil, among other materials, to destination facilities identified on the permit. This would include lithium-ion batteries.”

But on Friday, the DEC added: “Today, a DEC inspection of the facility found potential violations of its permit. The investigation is ongoing and DEC will take any actions deemed appropriate to ensure the protection of public health and the environment.”

Mr. Flynn said the batteries were removed Saturday morning and taken to company in Connecticut called MNL. He expects that EES may get a violation from the DEC for not removing the batteries within 10 days, as required. However, he said, the building and property owners and business owners — for whom he was working — had asked to keep the batteries as evidence in case a lawsuit is filed. 

“In 35 years doing this,” Mr. Flynn said, “I’ve never had to deal with a loss of life.”

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Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and State Sen. Anthony Palumbo held a press conference Thursday to announce that $1.5 million in additional funding has been secured to provide clean drinking water to 64 Riverhead Town residents living in Manorville whose groundwater wells have been impacted by contamination.

The grant brings the total amount of funds allocated to the project to $7.35 million, sufficient to cover the anticipated amount needed for completion.

Patrick Halpin, chairman of the Suffolk County Water Authority, said the work to expand the infrastructure and connect the affected homes to public water supplies can begin in roughly two months.

“These homeowners have been waiting for too long for a definitive answer about the cost of connecting their homes to the public water supply,” Mr. Bellone said. “We are here today to eliminate any uncertainty about how this project will be paid for. With today’s announcement, we make it clear that these families will be connected to a safe and reliable source of drinking water at no cost. This day has been a long time coming.”

The $1.5 million, which comes from the county’s Water Infrastructure Fund, will help cover the cost of bringing municipal water to the area, connecting that supply to the impacted homes and installing metering equipment.

“By working together with our partners in federal, state and local government, with this contribution from the County’s Water Infrastructure Fund, we will have succeeded in providing a reliable source of safe drinking water with no out of pocket cost to these 64 homeowners,” Mr. Bellone said.

Mr. Bellone and Riverhead Town Supervisor Yvette Aguiar commended each other on their ongoing efforts to bring public water to the area.

“Even before the pandemic in 2020, I had [Mr. Bellone’s] support and he had mine,” Ms. Aguiar said.

Identifying funding to bring clean water to the area has been an uphill battle over the last several years. Residents and water advocates have long argued that they should not be responsible to foot the bill for hook ups to the public water supply.

“There was a certain cost to hook up all 64 homes,” Mr. Palumbo said, noting that it could be very expensive for individual residents to pay for connecting the public pipes to their homes. “That’s what we’re shooting for, that [the hookups] are not at the individual resident’s expense.”

“I can’t even begin to thank everybody,” said Kelly McClinchy of Manorville, one of the affected residents who has led the effort to get access to public water. She noted the congtributions of elected officials but added that, “there were so many other people, the unsung heroes that we don’t see.”

Ms. McClinchy also acknowledged the role of local media in bringing the issue to light.

“When we started four years ago, we started as a group of about 60 families,” said Ms. McClinchy. “Now, we’ve grown to a support network of over 100 individuals.”

Several speakers commended the amount of time and effort Ms. McClinchy and others have dedicated to advancing the project.

“Kelly led this battle with intelligence, perseverance and a caring heart,” said Adrienne Esposito of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, which worked with Ms. McClinchy. “She was always think about it. Always thinking about what the next step would be. And that’s what caused the success.”

Ms. McClinchy, who was honored as the News-Review’s Community Leader of the Year in 2021, has often spoke at Riverhead Town Board meetings or meetings with the Navy about how pressing the need for clean water is to her neighbors.

Testing has shown that many of the homes in these areas have high levels of contaminants in their drinking water. In 2022, 62 residential wells were tested and 22 of them contained carcinogens exceeding the EPA’s acceptable limits, according to officials.

The contaminants include man-made chemicals like perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). Well water serving homes in those areas has been found to contain high levels of PFOS and PFOA, which were used extensively in industrial and consumer products, like firefighting foams, since the mid-20th century, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Known as “forever chemicals,” they do not break down in the environment and seep through soil and contaminate drinking water. The toxic chemicals are harmful to fish and wildlife, and are known to cause cancer, immune disorders and other diseases in humans.

“It’s a New York State constitutional right to have clean air, clean water and a healthy environment,” said Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio. “We appreciate our environmental advocates who are pushing for that every day, and for the residents that are longing for somebody to pay attention to them.”

The U.S. Navy, which leased the area to the Grumman Corporation from 1956 to 1996 to build and test fighter planes, has admitted to polluting areas inside the fence in Calverton, and has taken steps to clean up those areas.

However, the Navy has denied causing contamination outside the fence, where testing has shown that many property owners have contaminants in their water.

“The project needs to be done immediately,” Mr. Palumbo said, acknowledging the ongoing efforts of state agencies to ultimately determine the cause of the contamination. “They need to have clean water,” the senator said of the impacted residents. “We can deal with the funding aspects or who is responsible, down the road.”

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Earlier this month, the town was notified by the state Department of Health — which administers the funding — that Riverhead Water District’s water main extension 97,  which is on Forge Road, and extension 94, which is in Manorville, will receive the grant money to connect areas currently served by well water to public water sources.

The Forge Road project was awarded $1.2 million and the Manorville project was awarded $3.8 million, which will help the town bring clean drinking water to affected residents.

Well water serving homes in those areas has been found to contain high levels of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), man-made chemicals used extensively in industrial and consumer products since the mid-20th century, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Known as “forever chemicals,” they do not break down in the environment and seep through soil and contaminate drinking water. The toxic chemicals are harmful to fish and wildlife, and are known to cause cancer, immune disorders and other diseases in in humans.

“These are significant awards,” said Dawn Thomas, head of Riverhead’s Community Development Agency. 

Manorville resident Kelly McClinchy, who has for years led the efforts to bring public water to the affected sections of Manorville and Calverton still relying on well water, called the latest grant “a pleasant surprise.”

The town has previously received several grants for the project, including $2 million last year and $3.5 million the year prior, officials said. 

There are 64 homes in Brookhaven Town and 64 homes in Riverhead that currently lack a connection to public water sources. Brookhaven Town is served by the Suffolk County Water Authority, Riverhead has its own water district. 

McClinchy said it remains unclear whether the grant money would cover the costs of connecting each house to the public water facilities. 

A community meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 22, at the Manorville Fire Department, beginning at 6 p.m., Ms. McClinchy said. 

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Residents in parts of those hamlets say their calls for clean drinking water are going nowhere. 

They would like to see state or federal money made available to help them connect to public water — either the Riverhead Water District in Riverhead Town or the Suffolk County Water Authority in Brookhaven Town. 

The latest blow came in November, when New York State awarded $50 million in grants to various organizations statewide but didn’t give anything to Riverhead or SCWA.

“We can’t wait any longer. We have to get this done now,” said Mike Martz, who has lived in Manorville for more than 20 years, on the effort to connect area homes to public water.

“Calverton needs clean drinking water,” said Adrienne Esposito of Citizens Campaign for the Environment.

The Federal government did give Riverhead Town a $3.5 million grant for the water project in March of 2022, but town officials say it will take about $11 million.

A total of 64 homeowners live in the area that do not have access to public water. Those homeowners say their groundwater is being polluted and they blame the U.S. Navy for contaminating the when the land when it was leased to the Grumman Corporation, which built and tested fighter jets there. 

The Navy says the pollution is not from their property, and they are not responsible for its cleanup. 

The Navy has cleaned up some of the pollution on their property — much of which has been given to Riverhead Town.

The Grumman Corporation left the Calverton site in 1995, having operated there since 1956 making and testing fighter jets.

Riverhead Town took title to much of the land within the security fence there on Sept. 9, 1998.

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“Calverton needs clean drinking water,” said Adrienne Esposito of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment at a press conference Wednesday. 

Residents said they are calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to help them after a failed attempt to secure state grant funding.

A number of civic leaders from organizations throughout the town joined the residents as a show of solidarity. A total of 64 homes in the area rely on private wells for water and would be connected to public water under the proposed project that officials are seeking funding for.

Residents say those wells have a high probability of being contaminated with toxic chemicals from the Navy/Grumman toxic plume.

Community members have been advocating for the past three years for funding. The latest state grants were announced Nov. 4, totaling about $50 million, and money sought by Riverhead Town and the Suffolk County Water Authority for the water connection was not included.

Residents say the connection is needed.

Of the 62 homes tested in this year, 22 of them had carcinogens, residents said. 

“We know that PFAS chemicals are associated with kidney, testicular cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, immune system damage,” and other forms of cancer, Ms. Esposito said. 

She said two local representatives at the federal level have been helpful in the residents’ quest for public water: U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-Brooklyn) and Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley). Mr. Zeldin’s term will end this year after he lost his run for governor.

“I don’t want to have to visit anymore of my neighbors in a hospital or nursing home, or worse, in a funeral home,” said Ron Martz, who has lived in Manorville for more than 20 years. “We can’t wait any longer. We have to get this done now.” 

Cort Ruddy, a spokesman for the State Department of Health, issued the following response: “While this project’s application was deemed incomplete because it did not meet strict requirements for funding applications, the state is committed to helping the town and authority find a solution that will provide safe drinking water for these impacted households in Calverton. We fully recognize the complexities of this situation and are resolved to work with these applicants to help them successfully secure funding for this critical project.”

The DOH says it is now working with both the town and SCWA to seek financing for the project.

Officials say the financing requested by the Town, and the grant requested by the SCWA, required them to do a full coordinated review under the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) Act, but neither was completed. Without the completed SEQR, neither application could be processed.

Manorville resident Toni Pawson said her family uses bottled water for everything. 

“Cooking, my dogs, ice cubes … everything, except showering, the dishwasher and the washing machine,” she said.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation provided her with 11 cases of bottled water once, “and that was it,” she said. 

She said they have to make bottled water ice cubes.

“Who does that?” she said. 

“We didn’t put the chemicals in the ground, we shouldn’t have to live with it,” she added. 

Riverhead Town in September reached an agreement to formally collaborate with the SCWA, just a few days before the deadline to apply for the state grants. Last year Riverhead received $3.5 million in federal funding that would go toward the nearly $9.5 million project to hook up the affected Manorville properties.

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