In a 67-page Final Scope released Monday, Dec. 1, SCWA outlined the environmental review for the two-phase, 12-mile project — which is estimated to cost $35 million for the first phase alone. The document sets the stage for a Draft Environmental Impact Statement expected by late January, SCWA communications director Daniel Dubois told Riverhead News Review.

“Following its release, we will hold public hearings to take comments,” Mr. Dubois said. “Once that process is complete, the SCWA Board will make a final determination on the project’s environmental impact.”

The move comes two months after Riverhead’s five-member Town Board voted unanimously that SCWA must comply with local land-use regulations for the 8.15-mile pipeline that would run through town but provide no water service to Riverhead residents.

SCWA conducted its own legal review, known as a Monroe Balancing Test, and reached the opposite conclusion, claiming immunity as a state-created authority.

Now Southold wants its own review of whether the pipeline project should be exempt from local regulations. During discussion at the Town Board’s Tuesday, Dec. 2, work session, officials said they would conduct a Monroe Balancing Test — a legal standard that weighs whether regional projects can override local control.

“I think it’s very important that we have that here,” Southold Councilwoman Jill Doherty said.

The town is determining when it will hold the Monroe Balancing Test, which would allow local experts and residents to voice their concerns about the project.

The pipeline is intended to bolster drinking water supplies for Southold, which the Final Scope says faces a “limited supply of potable drinking water” and local water sources “subject to saltwater intrusion.”

If approved following environmental review, construction could take four years, with the pipeline expected to be operational by 2030.

In October, the feud over the pipeline escalated when SCWA attorney Richard Finkel argued the not-for-profit agency should be immune from local regulation because “if the authority was bound by local land-use regulations in each [municipality it serves], it would be subject to the regulations of all 43 municipalities in which it operates.” 

Riverhead officials countered that the town would shoulder construction impacts — particularly along Sound Avenue, a major agricultural and tourism corridor. The pipeline would carry water from Flanders wells through Riverhead to Southold customers. 

“You design it, you approve it, and you do it and step all over Riverhead while doing it, with no benefit to us whatsoever,” Supervisor Tim Hubbard said at an October hearing. 

Riverhead Town Attorney Erik Howard said he was reviewing the pipeline Final Scope and would respond after completing his analysis when contacted by Riverhead News Review.

In October, Mr. Howard argued that Riverhead should have the authority to conduct the Monroe Balancing Test, saying the host community — not the entity seeking immunity — should determine whether local regulations apply.

Environmental planning firm Nelson Pope Voorhis prepared the Final Scope based on comments from three public scoping sessions held in June and on written comments submitted through August. The firm will now conduct the environmental analysis.

Pipeline construction plans

Phase one would run 8.15 miles from Riverside and Flanders in Southampton to the Riverhead-Southold town line in Jamesport and Laurel, supplying up to 6,000 gallons per minute to approximately 9,500 Southold customers, according to SCWA documents.

No new wells would be drilled. SCWA would draw from excess capacity in its South Shore Low Zone, according to the Final Scope. A booster station would be built on SCWA property on Pier Avenue in the Jamesport area.

The pipeline would be installed using two methods: approximately 0.63 miles by directional drilling beneath the Peconic River, the Long Island Rail Road and Main Road, with the remaining 7.52 miles installed by open-cut trenching.

The daily installation rate for trenched sections is estimated to be 300 to 400 feet per day, and up to 600 feet per day or more on long stretches within grassed shoulder areas such as along sections of Cross River Drive.

An alternate route could run north from the Flanders Road and Cross Island Drive intersection, then north to the Cross River Drive and Main Road intersection, and east along Main Road to the Franklinville Road intersection in Laurel, connecting to an existing SCWA main.

Phase two would extend existing water infrastructure 3.79 miles from East Marion to Orient. SCWA says it is not currently planning the extension and included it only to avoid “segmentation” violations under state law. No cost estimate for the second phase was available.

Southold Councilman Brian Mealy said at the Dec. 2 meeting that data from an ongoing U.S. Geological Survey study on the aquifer should be included in the pipeline environmental review.

In October, Southold Councilman Greg Doroski questioned whether SCWA was overstating the water crisis. Mr. Doroski — who won election to the county Legislature last month and will leave the Town Board in January — asked whether “the urgency created by the SCWA in moving this proposal forward is artificially created.”

Environmental review process

Throughout the environmental review, consultants will evaluate potential impacts, including land disturbance from construction, coastal habitat and wildlife effects, surface water quality, groundwater supply capacity, traffic safety, and proximity to schools and hospitals.

The Final Scope notes that “the Towns of Riverhead and Southold have raised concerns that the proposed action may induce secondary development or will be growth inducing.”

Impacts such as potential property value increases near public water are considered “out of scope for an environmental review,” according to the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) handbook.

An analysis of how the project would affect future development at EPCAL in Calverton was also determined to be outside the review scope and is “not expected to be significantly or adversely impacted.”

SCWA and other agencies with permitting authority will be consulted on mitigation options, the Final Scope states.

The draft impact statement, beyond the review of the proposed project, potential impacts and alternative routes, will assist in SCWA’s “final determination of impact and the appropriateness of moving forward with the project.”

The Final Scope determined that water conservation programs alone, like Southold’s irrigation legislation passed in July modeled after an SCWA program, would not achieve the project’s goals of bringing potable water to the North Fork.

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At a public hearing Thursday, Oct. 9, at the Riverhead Free Library, SCWA officials presented their findings under the Monroe Balancing Test, concluding the agency has immunity from local regulation because it serves as a regional public entity. Two days earlier, the Riverhead Town Board voted unanimously to adopt its own Monroe Test results, reaching the opposite conclusion.

The dueling decisions have left the two sides deadlocked over who has final say on the estimated $35 million project, which would carry water from Flanders through Riverhead to supply customers in Southold.

“This project is indisputably for the benefit of the people of Suffolk County and the state of New York,” said Richard Finkel, attorney for SCWA, reiterating the claim he made at two previous meetings held in Westhampton and Peconic last week. “If we had to abide by the zoning laws of 43 different municipalities, it would be impossible for us to operate.”

Town officials, however, insist Riverhead, as the host community, has the right to determine how and where construction proceeds.

The proposed pipeline would run 8.15 miles from Flanders through Riverhead, supplying about 9,500 Southold customers whose existing wells are nearing capacity. SCWA says the project is critical to maintain water pressure and reliability on the North Fork, especially during summer months when irrigation demand peaks.

Mr. Finkel said the authority’s immunity claim rests on the principle that it performs “an essential governmental function.” The SCWA operates across 10 towns and nearly three dozen villages, he noted, and could not function if each municipality imposed its own zoning conditions.

“This would be untenable,” he said. “The authority’s purpose is to provide drinking water countywide — that’s a matter of public health and welfare.”

Mr. Finkel stressed the construction of the underground pipeline would cause temporary impacts on roadways, but all affected roads would be fully restored. In consideration of the community, Mr. Finkel said the SCWA will avoid road closings and traffic interruptions during the busy fall season.

He added the SCWA is “fully aware and capable” of managing construction so there is minimal damage. Mr. Finkel referenced the previous installation of 7,000 feet of water main in Riverhead and the current 20,000-foot water main extension project happening in Manorville.

Town officials say they aren’t disputing the project’s need but how it’s being handled. Riverhead leaders argue that as the “host community,” they’re entitled to review impacts on traffic, roadways, and neighborhoods within town borders — and to require compliance with local zoning codes.

Councilwoman Denise Merrifield criticized SCWA’s draft environmental documents as “void of key studies,” including traffic and infrastructure impacts. “This project does not benefit any residents in the town of Riverhead.”

Riverhead Town officials have disputed SCWA’s attempt to “circumvent” Riverhead’s authority to conduct its own Monroe Balancing Test by suggesting the agency’s test findings will be included in its draft environmental impact statement.

The Monroe Balancing Test — named for a 1988 New York Court of Appeals case — is used to decide whether one level of government can bypass another’s zoning authority. It weighs nine factors, some of which include the project’s public benefit, environmental impact and whether local oversight would hinder regional goals.

Both Riverhead and SCWA conducted their own tests and reached opposite conclusions. The town’s findings from its test in August, presented by Mr. Rothwell on Thursday after being reaffirmed two days earlier, determined that SCWA should comply with local regulations as a matter of fairness and community accountability.

Southold officials, meanwhile, have questioned whether SCWA has overstated the extent of the water crisis. The town passed irrigation legislation in July and has an ongoing U.S. Geological Survey study on the aquifer.

Joan Cear, recording secretary of the Greater Jamesport Civic Association, urged SCWA officials to consider relocating the pipeline underneath the electric transmission line easements that run from Riverhead to Mattituck, in order to avoid disruption to major roadways like Sound Avenue.

At Thursday’s hearing, residents urged both sides to work together before the conflict escalates.

“We’re headed for an impasse,” said Barbara Blass, a former Riverhead Town Board member. “I don’t think residents want to stop this project, but they also won’t stand by while construction moves forward without accountability.”

Erik Howard, town attorney, said the Riverhead Town Board were advised of its legal options in a recent executive session and the various ways potential litigation could play out. However, no decision to commence litigation has been made.

“The Town Board is prepared to seek judicial intervention if it becomes apparent that such intervention is necessary to protect the best interests of the Town and our residents,” Mr. Howard wrote in an email.

SCWA has received more than 100 comments on the project through public hearings, including one in Westhampton on Monday, Oct. 6, and another the next day in Peconic. The authority will release its final project scope in the coming weeks, publish a draft environmental statement before the end of the year and complete its final environmental impact statement by early 2026.

The open comment period for residents to share input on the SCWA arguing immunity from local zoning laws ends on Wednesday, Oct. 15, at 5 p.m. Public comments can be submitted at scwa.com/nfp.

The post Riverhead, SCWA clash over zoning control of proposed $35M pipeline appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

The agency held a hearing in Southold on Wednesday, Oct. 8, arguing it should have immunity as a regional entity. On Thursday, it will take that argument to Riverhead at 6 p.m. at the Riverhead Public Library, with residents having until 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15 to weigh in.

The pipeline would carry water from Flanders through Riverhead to supplement Southold’s supply, serving 9,500 customers across 60 wells that the authority says are at capacity. Riverhead officials contend that their town would shoulder the construction impacts without receiving direct benefits.

“The authority operates in 10 towns and approximately 33 villages within Suffolk County,” Richard Finkel, a lawyer representing SCWA, said at the hearing held at the Southold Recreation Center. “If the authority was bound by local land-use regulations in each, it would be subject to the regulations of all 43 municipalities in which it operates.”

He added that such subjection would “hamper” the authority’s ability to deliver drinking water across Suffolk County.

The SCWA — an independent public-benefit corporation operating under the state’s Public Authorities Law — claims it has immunity as a regional entity. Riverhead officials disagree.

On Tuesday, the Riverhead Town Board unanimously approved findings that the SCWA should follow local zoning laws — the result of what’s called a Monroe Balancing Test, a legal standard that weighs whether regional projects can override local control.

The SCWA is conducting its own version of the same test, which dates to a 1988 land-use dispute between Monroe County and the City of Rochester. 

Mr. Finkel said the SCWA would minimize and handle traffic impacts caused during pipeline construction in Riverhead. 

The dispute underscores concerns over North Fork development. Riverhead resident John McAuliffe said the pipeline assumes a pace of growth that “needs to be debated.”

“It is a community question, a larger community question, of where we see ourselves 10 years from now or 20 years from now,” McAuliffe said at the Oct. 8 hearing.

Even Southold officials — whose residents would get the water — questioned whether SCWA was overstating the extent of the water crisis. Plans for a North Fork pipeline date back to 2003, according to Riverhead Water District Superintendent Frank Mancini.

“I wonder whether the urgency created by the SCWA in moving this proposal forward is in fact artificially created,” said Southold Councilman Greg Doroski, who is running for Suffolk County Legislature in next month’s election.

Southold Supervisor Al Krupski and Doroski asked the SCWA to wait for results from an ongoing U.S. Geological Survey study on the aquifer and to consider effects of irrigation legislation the town passed in July.

SCWA has received more than 100 comments on the project through public hearings this year, including one in Southampton held on Monday, Oct. 6.

The authority will release its final project scope in the coming weeks, publish a draft environmental statement in winter 2025, and complete its final environmental impact statement by early 2026.

Public comments can be submitted at scwa.com/nfp through Wednesday’s deadline.

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In the last week, between a public forum held Aug. 13 and the public hearing at Tuesday night’s Riverhead Town Board meeting, both Riverhead and Southold town officials and community members have thoroughly questioned the benefits of the proposed $35 million North Fork Transmission Line from Flanders to Laurel. 

The SCWA has continued to stress that the sole purpose of the pipeline is to draw water from existing wells in the Flanders area to meet demand in Southold, which the agency’s attorney, Brody Smith, said provides public safety solutions. These, he said, include addressing the threat of PFAs detected in Orient’s private wells and aiding area fire departments in emergencies. 

However, when evaluating the significant construction that would take place through Riverhead, town officials repeatedly questioned the exact benefit the pipeline has for Riverhead itself, and why the SCWA refuses to list Riverhead Town as an involved agency in the process. 

Confusion among Riverhead town officials and consultants also remains over the exact placement of the water main extension, as do concerns about their exclusion from the actual planning of the pipeline and a general distrust for the consideration of the project’s local impact. 

“[The SCWA is] trying to fly the plane while they’re building it,” said Jeffrey Seeman, the environmental consultant hired by Riverhead Town. “Without the ability to have strong engineering plans, other than this routing line on a map, it’s been very difficult for our team to assess not only what the impacts would be, but where the location of this project is physically placed.” 

With no knowledge of what other infrastructure may be in the way during construction, and no bounds with which to assess any requirements for easements or land purchases, Mr. Seeman strongly recommended that no exemptions be granted under Riverhead Town’s site plan review process. 

SCWA pipeline plans were evaluated by Riverhead town officials on Tuesday through a Monroe Balancing Test — a nine-part process used to assess the nature of a proposed project, its impact on the local community and how the public would benefit. All of these components factor into determining whether or not the project should be exempted from land use regulations and local zoning rules. Questions were also posed about alternative locations for the project and whether other ways to meet Southold’s water demand were considered. 

The SCWA believes they should be granted immunity because the pipeline is addressing a “regional problem” and Riverhead’s land use regulation would “defeat” that solution. Mr. Smith also stressed that construction impacts would be temporary and any disrupted land would be restored.

Other locations were explored for the pipeline, as was potentially increasing the number of wells in Southold, Mr. Smith said. However, SCWA found that the town’s aquifer system would not be able to support the well increase and that, regardless of the availability of alternative routes, the water main must travel through Riverhead to get to Southold. 

Mr. Smith also noted that the SCWA previously installed 7,000 feet of water main in Riverhead and is currently installing around 20,000 feet of main in the Manorville area, neither of which required the water authority to obtain local approval. 

“That has been the relationship between the two entities, that has been the standard operating procedure for as long as anyone can remember,” Mr. Smith said. In a rebuttal, Councilman Kenneth Rothwell and other town officials claimed SCWA left local roads in poor condition in the construction process.

SCWA was also criticized for closing its scoping session on Aug. 4, after the town requested it be kept open until after the Monroe public hearing was conducted. Mr. Smith hand delivered a letter from SCWA’s legal representation to Riverhead town officials that described the town’s actions on the pipeline project as “confounding.” 

The SCWA alleged in a letter to their attorney that they were not invited to the town’s Aug. 13 public forum and expressed the information presented was “one-sided.” Riverhead town attorney Erik Howard previously told the Riverhead News-Review he had not received any information indicating SCWA intended to participate in the public forum, nor did he hear from SCWA when they were notified of the public hearing. 

“This smells strongly of the fox in the hen house. You design it, you approve it, and you do it, and step all over Riverhead while doing it, with no benefit to us whatsoever,” said Riverhead Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard. “This doesn’t cut it for the people in this town, so there’s going to have to be some sit-downs with the Suffolk County Water Authority.” 

At the public forum at Riverhead Town Hall last week, Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski commended Riverhead for its informational and municipal efforts regarding the pipeline project, and agreed that concerns regarding the pipeline’s impact on Southold and Riverhead have not been openly discussed. 

Recent scientific studies have seemingly played no part in the development of the pipeline proposal, Mr. Krupski said regarding the Monroe Balancing Test. He noted that the reason given by the SCWA for not including studies like the United States Geological Survey study in Orient was that its report has not been finalized yet. 

Southold Town officials expressed an interest in partnering with Riverhead Town as a “unified front” to have their questions and concerns answered throughout the scoping period of the project proposal.

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The SCWA’s proposed $35 million North Fork Transmission Line will run 12 miles across the North Fork to supplement existing systems in Riverhead and Southold Towns. The pipeline would draw water from existing wells in the Flanders area to meet demand in Southold, ensure water quality and availability, increase system reliability, and recharge the aquifer with fresh water, according to SCWA documents. 

The town is looking to evaluate SCWA plans through a Monroe Balancing Test — a nine-part process used to assess the nature of a proposed project, its impact on the local community and how the public would benefit. All of these components factor into determining whether or not the project should be exempted from land use regulations and local zoning rules.

This process was similarly used at the end of last year to evaluate a zoning exemption request for the Wading River Fire Department‘s proposal to construct a wireless communications facility, equipped with a 190-foot concealment pole that would strengthen its emergency correspondence. 

Due to the significant construction that would take place within Riverhead for this project, the town board has previously objected to being listed as an “interested” agency rather than an “involved” one in the environmental review process, according to the public hearing resolution approved on Aug. 5.

The town board also disputed SCWA’s attempt to “circumvent” Riverhead’s authority to conduct its own Monroe Balancing Test by suggesting the agency’s test findings will be included in its draft environmental impact statement.

In the first phase of the project, the main from Riverside and Flanders in Southampton to the Riverhead-Southold town line in Jamesport and Laurel would be 8.15 miles. A 24-inch diameter transmission water main would begin at the intersection of Flanders Road and Cross River Drive, continue north along Cross River Drive under the Peconic River and north along Cross River Drive to its intersection with Northville Turnpike. 

From there, the pipeline would extend northeast along Northville Turnpike to the intersection of Northville Turnpike and Sound Avenue, then east along Sound Avenue to Pier Avenue at a proposed booster station north of the Pier Avenue and Sound Avenue intersection. 

The 405-square-foot booster station would be built on a 1.5-acre property owned by SCWA. Two 16-inch mains will be installed to and from the booster station to service the pipeline. The SCWA property is 200 feet north of the Pier Avenue and Sound Avenue intersection on the west side of Pier Avenue in Jamesport. The booster station would be set roughly 97 feet back from the street and about 40 feet from the closest adjacent property line. 

From the booster station, the Riverside to Laurel main would continue east along Sound Avenue for 1.39 miles to the Jamesport Wellfield and Pump Station at the Town of Riverhead and Town of Southold municipal boundary between Jamesport and Laurel. 

If SCWA is required to go through Riverhead’s process, the county agency may need approvals for easements along the town’s roadways, road opening permits, building permits for the construction the Pier Avenue booster station, as well as review by the town’s Conservation Advisory Council.

Riverhead Town Attorney Erik Howard said in an email the SCWA has been notified about the public hearing, he has not heard if any representatives plan on attending.

Riverhead town officials are hosting a public forum on Wednesday, Aug. 13, at 6 p.m. at Riverhead Town Hall to discuss the pipeline project, outline the differences between SCWA and the Riverhead Water District, provide updates on the SEQRA review and the town’s role in this process and educate community members on the Monroe Balancing Test.

Mr. Howard confirmed he also did not receive any information indicating SCWA intends to participate in the public forum either.

“Generally, SCWA’s actions have indicated intent to avoid or otherwise work around the Town of Riverhead,” Mr. Howard said in an email.

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The purpose of the scoping session was not for officials to respond, they said, but to use the comments as directives to be included in the environmental impact statement. Riverhead Town officials recently approved a resolution to hire environmental consultant Jeffrey Seeman, who will advocate on behalf of the town to have it listed as an “involved agency” rather than an “interested” one in the SEQRA review process of the project.

Mr. Seeman attended the scoping session and said the SCWA has been invited to Town Hall to present its plans to pursue the Monroe Balancing Test — a nine-part process used to assess the nature of a proposed project, its impact on the local community and how the public would benefit. All of these components factor into determining whether or not the project should be exempted from land use regulations and local zoning rules. The consultant added that a public hearing will take place on this matter at Riverhead Town Hall at a later date.

If SCWA is required to go through Riverhead’s process, the county agency may need approvals for easements along the town’s roadways and undergo site plan review by the Riverhead Planning Board, which would encompass not only the transmission line outlined in the project, but also the booster station.

“Riverhead’s primary concern is that, to date, we haven’t seen any preliminary engineering plans, and while we have commented on the scope, and we were hoping to limit those comments for you in order to keep it as narrow as possible, it’s difficult for the town to really assess what potential impacts there might be that they would like to have addressed,” Mr. Seeman said at the session.

The pipeline would augment existing water supplies in the Flanders area to meet demand in Southold, ensure water quality and availability, increase system reliability and recharge the aquifer with fresh water, according to SCWA documents. 

The proposed pipeline project will span 11.94 miles and disturb 6.51 miles with trenching, directional drill test pits and a booster station site. A majority of the water main installations will be located within street rights-of-way along the identified routes, consisting primarily of county roads. 

In the first phase of the project, the main from Riverside and Flanders in Southampton to the Riverhead-Southold town line in Jamesport and Laurel would be 8.15 miles. It would draw water from existing wells in Flanders. A 24-inch diameter transmission water main would begin at the intersection of Flanders Road and Cross River Drive, continue north along Cross River Drive under the Peconic River and north along Cross River Drive to its intersection with Northville Turnpike. 

From there, the pipeline would extend northeast along Northville Turnpike to the intersection of Northville Turnpike and Sound Avenue, then east along Sound Avenue to Pier Avenue at a proposed booster station north of the Pier Avenue and Sound Avenue intersection. 

The 405-square-foot booster station would be built on a 1.5-acre property owned by SCWA. Two 16-inch mains will be installed to and from the booster station to service the pipeline. The SCWA property is 200 feet north of the Pier Avenue and Sound Avenue intersection on the west side of Pier Avenue in Jamesport. The booster station would be set roughly 97 feet back from the street and about 40 feet from the closest adjacent property line. 

From the booster station, the Riverside to Laurel main would continue east along Sound Avenue for 1.39 miles to the Jamesport Wellfield and Pump Station at the Town of Riverhead and Town of Southold municipal boundary between Jamesport and Laurel. 

No customer service connections will be made within the Riverhead Water District service area. 

Part of the project would involve installing a water main with directional drilling beneath the Peconic River and estuary near Cross River Drive bridge between Flanders and Riverhead. The drilling, per the full environmental assessment form submitted by SCWA, “is not expected to affect aquatic plants.”

Mr. Seeman said without a preliminary engineering plan, particularly around the historic buildings and number of utilities around the Sound Avenue corridor, there is a concern about how property owners and the town would be impacted by construction in that narrow shoulder.

If SCWA is not granted the zoning exemption, the town would like to address these concerns in their review process early in order to make sure the agency does not fall behind on its EIS review schedule.

“This is just my observation, I think the benefits to Southold are fairly obvious — you talked about saltwater intrusion and the reduction in wells that are possible — but we have yet to see any significant benefit to Riverhead,” Mr. Seeman said. “My concern here is that at the end of the SEQRA process you’ll have to prepare a findings statement, and that findings statement will have to balance what the environmental impacts are going to have to be on a regional basis, against the benefits, which appear to be primarily for Southold.”

Many Riverhead residents who attended the scoping session urged SCWA officials to consider conducting a traffic and noise study of the residential areas that are going to be directly impacted by this project.

Barbara Blass of Jamesport expressed her concern about the Monroe Balancing Test consideration and said Riverhead Town’s “discretionary authority” in the project has already been removed due to it not being listed as an involved agency.

“If you were some other entity, there would be a whole list of permits that you would be required to and review process, but by the very nature that in this document that we are commenting on now, we are an interested agency,” Ms. Blass said. “I hope it’s something more than an FYI on a sticky note that says we’re about to begin. I think it’s inappropriate for us to be operating right now [as an interested agency] until the Monroe Test has been conducted.”

The environmental impact statement will be created based on the comments submitted during the scoping period and can take as long as the SCWA decides it needs to take. Between now and the final environmental impact statement, the project could be changed slightly throughout the process, but the public will have the opportunity to review a draft before it is finalized. 

The next scoping session will be held Thursday, June 12, at 6 p.m. at the Southold Recreation Center, 970 Peconic Lane. Comments on the North Fork Pipeline draft environmental review can also be submitted online at scwa.com/nfp-comment/. The comment deadline is Wednesday, June 25.

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Mr. Szabo was responding to a letter to the editor published recently in The Suffolk Times from Laurel resident David Levy.

In his letter, Mr. Levy said he saw no indication that any work had been done in the full year following the project groundbreaking, which the water authority now acknowledges was merely “ceremonial.” During that year, Mr. Levy wrote, a section of Peconic Bay Boulevard was dug up and a pipe was laid underground “because someone wanted a photo op,” 

The project, which water authority officials said last spring would be completed by 2030, will be spread out over three to five years to minimize disruption and will begin after the completion of an environmental impact study, which is currently underway, and a determination of the optimal route, Mr. Szabo said.

“There’s no rush. It’s a longstanding issue that we think needs to be addressed,” he said. “We’re proud that we’re addressing it. And whether it takes three years or five years, I’m not putting pressure on ourselves to get it done quickly.”

As for Mr. Levy’s complaint that last year’s groundbreaking was “fake,” Mr. Szabo acknowledged that the event was “ceremonial.”

“Our previous chairman [Patrick Halpin] believed in this project. He was on the board for 17 years. He’s no longer on the board,” Mr. Szabo said. “He was our chairman for the last four years and very passionate about this project. And he very much wanted to initiate a ceremonial kickoff. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”

In a press release issued last spring to promote the groundbreaking, SCWA described the pipeline as the “North Fork Halpin Transmission Line.”

The groundbreaking was paid for out of the SCWA’s capital budget and the work was done by a contractor, Roadwork Construction, according to an agency spokesperson.

Mr. Szabo said officials have yet to determine the best route for the pipeline — and that in the weeks ahead he will send out a letter to local elected officials and community leaders to “share where we are” on the project.

“We’re planning to have full scoping sessions,” he said. “We want to hear from everybody.”

The water piped into the North Fork from the pine barrens will allow SCWA to reduce reliance on area wells impacted by saltwater intrusion. The project is also expected to reduce future capital outlays for the construction of new well fields in the area.

Mr. Szabo went on to say that SCWA is still determining the best of “three main routes that head from west to east” for the pipeline.

“We’re going to want to hear from folks, we want to hear from the community,” he said. “We’re going in open-minded and I think that’s probably the best, or the only, way to do it to be successful.”

SCWA first presented the plan for the new main to the Southold Town Board in November 2022 and applied for project grants a month later, though Mr. Szabo said that funding has yet to be secured.

“We typically invest millions of dollars a year in our capital program,” he said. “Our annual capital budget is anywhere from $85 million to $110 million. This $35 million project — it’s certainly a big step, the biggest single capital project we’ve had in our history.

“We have applied for, and we will again seek, federal and state funds to reduce the cost. So this won’t take away from any of our typical normal capital work that we do. This will be done and sort of incorporated into that,” he said.

“We are doing all the proper steps,” Mr. Szabo added. “If we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves, don’t think any worse of us.”

The post SCWA’s 2023 water main groundbreaking was just ‘ceremonial’ appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Riverhead Town has now raised $7.39 million to extend the Riverhead Water District into Manorville and Calverton with the help of SCWA, and that’s about $2.8 million short, according to Joe Pokorny, the Water Authority’s deputy CEO for operations.

Still, SCWA officials say they are enthusiastic about getting the project underway.

“We’re looking forward to getting this going,” said SCWA chairman Patrick Halpin. “We’re going to start in a couple of months, as soon as we get the okay from regulators.”

Brookhaven Town is served by SCWA, while Riverhead Town has its own water district. However, there are 64 homes in the Riverhead Town portion of Manorville and 64 homes on the Brookhaven Town side which do not have public water, and instead rely on groundwater wells. Those wells have been found to be contaminated.

SCWA officials said that the Riverhead project doesn’t have an official start date, but they expect that it will begin in late 2023 or the first half of 2024.

The Brookhaven project is estimated to begin as early as this July, but that plan is subject to approval by state and federal entities. Brookhaven officials have said they have all the money to fund their project.

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 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.

“It blows my mind how the Navy says they’re not responsible,” said Manorville homeowner Clare Bennett. “They have blatantly stated that they are not responsible for anything that happens beyond the fence,” she said.

Ms. Bennett said her water shows traces of the man-made chemicals 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.

Ms. Bennett said her water also showed traces of methyl tert-butyl ether, a gasoline additive, which she believes seeped into her well water when the Grumman planes would often dump their fuel before landing. 

“In December 2016, my husband and I decided to send a sample of our water to the health department,” she said.

“I got a call about two weeks later telling me not to drink, eat, cook, or bathe with my water. The next day, the Department of Environmental Conservation showed up with 48 gallons of water and then within the next week, around Christmas time, they had installed a whole gigantic filtration system.”

Brookhaven Town invested $2 million in the project to connect the 64 homes to public water, according to its supervisor, Ed Romaine.

Riverhead Supervisor Yvette Aguiar said the town has submitted grant applications and received grant money, and continues to apply for additional funding.

SCWA’s current project estimate for Riverhead is $10.2 million to lay about 20,000 square feet of water main. Officials estimate that due to the extension project, SCWA customers will see a slight increase in their annual water bills. An average family of four will see their annual water bill rise about $22, from $534 to $556. 

The largest expenditure is the cost of the water main extension, according to Mr. Pokorny, followed by the cost of installing a meter in each home. Home owners will be responsible for the cost of connecting the pipe to their homes, officials said.

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“We did very well all summer,” he said. “We suspect that this is because of our past conservation efforts. We have not had an issue.”

More than 90% of Riverhead’s residents are connected to the town water district, Mr. Mancini said. And, he added, while Riverhead has the most farms on the East End, said all of them use private wells. 

One problem area is in Manorville, which is not connected to town water and is near the district’s boundaries.

The Riverhead Water District will soon have what’s known as a “two-tier” rate structure, which would require higher volume users to pay at a higher rate. Customers using more than 80,000 gallons per quarter must pay the higher rate, Mr. Mancini said.

Under the two-tier system, rates for the lower tier will increase from $1.78 to $1.95 per thousand gallons. Rates for the higher tier, which take effect once a customer exceeds the quarterly tier-one threshold, will be $2.75 per thousand gallons.

Currently, the $1.78 rate applies no matter how much water is consumed.

The current rate is already scheduled to increase to $1.83 per thousand gallons on Oct. 1, under rates approved by the Town Board in 2020.

Mr. Mancini said peak usage of town water occurs between 1 and 8 a.m., when automatic irrigation systems are on. 

Elsewhere on the East End, SCWA is urging residents to cut back on water usage because of a severe drought and a Stage 1 emergency. They have asked users to stop all irrigation between midnight and 7 a.m., reduce shower times and refrain from non-essential water use. 

SCWA has no policing power and does not levy fines or penalties, according to Joe Pokorny, its deputy CEO for operations. He said conservation is voluntary.

He noted that wells on the East End are smaller and there are fewer of them. 

“Couple that with the big increase in summer population and excessive water use and you have the right combination for what we are seeing now,” he said. “We continue to add to our infrastructure on the East End but we still need help from the public when the weather is this hot and dry for so long.”

The post As SCWA urges East End residents to cut back water use, Riverhead Water District says its holding up well appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

According to an agreement distributed at Wednesday’s Town Board meeting, water would be provided to properties with private wells that have or may become contaminated with contaminants in concentrations greater than permitted by drinking water regulations.

“I just got off the phone about 10 minutes ago with the Suffolk County Water Authority and it appears that we have reached a resolution to hook up Manorville,” Supervisor Yvette Aguiar said at the beginning of the meeting. “We will be providing funds to them as we get them. After 20 years, the water district was not well-served due to possible PFOS and PFOA … We’re going to move forward in a positive sense.”

The town and SCWA face a Friday deadline to apply for state grants.

The application shows more “support and proof that we’re working with an intermunicipal agreement with Suffolk County Water Authority, and that they have the ability … to provide water and resources under construction to those homes in that area,” said Councilman Ken Rothwell. “I think this is a great step to prove that we will now have the ability to get pipes in the ground.” 

Contaminated water in the area is often blamed on the Navy-owned Enterprise Park in Calverton. It was formerly leased to Grumman Corporation, which used it for aircraft manufacturing and testing. The Navy has denied responsibility for groundwater pollution outside of the property it owned.  

“We continue to work with Riverhead Town officials on finalizing this important agreement, and are reviewing an amended version they sent us this afternoon,” said Jeffrey Szabo, CEO of SCWA, in an emailed statement. “Additionally, in order to make sure the community is in the best position to receive more funds for the project from New York State, SCWA and Riverhead Town plan to individually apply for grant funding prior to the state’s Sept. 9 grant submission deadline.”

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. The town is seeking additional sources of funding, according to a resolution approved Wednesday, and has completed draft applications for funding through the WIIA grant program, which is run by the state to help municipalities fund water quality infrastructure projects.

“It’s a milestone,” said community leader Kelly McClinchy. “It definitely gives us peace of mind that when the town submits this grant application on Friday, there should be no issue with the DEC looking at any capacity problems.”

“Everybody deserves clean water and Manorville does as well,” she added. 

According to the passed resolution, the town wants SCWA to expedite the process by starting improvements while grant funds are pending. The extension area is not within the Riverhead Water District and the district lacks a state Department of Environmental Conservation public water supply permit to serve the area, although it intends to apply for one.

There are 64 homes in the Brookhaven Town portion of Manorville and 64 homes in the Riverhead Town portion that are not connected to public water. The Brookhaven homes are served by SCWA.

The town agreed to pay “a proportionate share” of grant funding toward the cost of the water main extension, upon submission of paid invoices to the town’s Department of Finance. If the town does not achieve full funding for actual costs within a certain time period, SCWA will charge identified properties a water main surcharge.

If the town achieves full funding within the agreed time period, SCWA will support the town’s application for a permit authorizing the incorporation of Manorville into the water district. The water improvement in the town would be conveyed to the water district upon payment of the remaining amounts due.

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