Elected officials and environmentalists in Southold shared a wide range of concerns over the Suffolk County Water Authority’s proposed North Fork Pipeline at a public hearing on the environmental review of the project Thursday evening.
The pipeline, which the Water Authority says is necessary to meet existing peak demand for public water on the North Fork and prevent its existing wells here from succumbing to saltwater intrusion, would run about 7.5 miles from an interconnection site in Flanders, up Route 105 to the Main Road and then east to the Southold town line.
Water Authority CEO Jeff Szabo said at the hearing that the project could commence as soon as 2027, and would take between 12 and 18 months to complete, avoiding work during the busy summer and fall tourist seasons.
When the Water Authority first announced it was preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the project in 2025, the route had been slated to run down Sound Avenue, a Riverhead Town road, but the Water Authority is currently suing Riverhead after that town declared it had a right to regulate whether the Water Authority could build a pipeline on town roads.
Water Authority Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Operations Joe Pokorny said after the Aug. 20 hearing that the Water Authority had been surprised by the resistance to the Sound Avenue route, and while doing engineering work on the project since an initial round of public scoping sessions last year, had found that the Main Road route was easier from an engineering standpoint — it is both shorter and will only require one pumping station instead of two.
On Segmentation and Conservation
One resident, Joel Klein of Mattituck, said he was concerned that the 335-page DEIS, released in late July of this year, seems to have been prepared primarily based on the Sound Avenue route. He estimated about 20 percent of the document dealt instead with the Water Authority’s newly preferred route.
Mr. Klein was also skeptical of the Water Authority’s assertion that it was including a “Phase 2” project bringing a pipeline from East Marion to Orient, which SCWA officials say might never happen, to avoid the appearance of “segmentation,” a process by which developers try to avoid stringent environmental review by breaking up a big project into smaller projects.
“I think you really need to be considering whether Phase 2 should be considered as part of this DEIS,” he said. “Can you honestly say the environmental impacts five years from now along the Phase 2 route would be the same as they are today, particularly given the cumulative impacts and traffic on the North Fork? …. All you are doing is setting up a situation where you can avoid going through the environmental review process should you ever decide to do Phase 2.”
Suffolk County Legislator Greg Doroski urged the Water Authority to use a more robust tiered pricing structure to encourage water conversation, pointing out that, while 70 percent of water use during the summer goes to lawn irrigation, 50 percent of that water is wasted.
He said the Water Authority’s high volume users pay just 15 percent more than lower volume users, while in places like Santa Fe, New Mexico, high water users pay three times the base rate.
He said that when that price structure went into effect, “they saw a 20 percent decrease in water demand with a 10 percent increase in population.”
“I’m really urging the Water Authority to not look at themselves as a supplier of water to the community, which you do a very good job at, but really being stewards who prioritize conservation of a very, very limited resource,” he said. “In Suffolk County, our water is undervalued for how valuable that resource is.”
Greenport Supports the Pipeline
Greenport Village representatives strongly supported the pipeline, and Greenport Mayor Kevin Stuessi said he was particularly moved by the Water Authority’s concern over low levels of water in the Greenport water tower on Moore’s Lane on summer mornings during times of peak demand.
“When I see that tower and know there are times when there’s only five or two feet worth of water in it, that is an emergency,” he said. “We cannot afford to delay. By delaying this decision, you are putting at risk every single one of our volunteer firefighters. When you look at the number of hotels here, the tourism going crazy… all of this is growing exponentially. Peconic Landing is looking to expand. Eastern Long Island Hospital — all of our emergency services people are going to that hospital. A few weeks ago, the water line going into that hospital was down for a couple hours. It was a huge issue.”
Mr. Stuessi added that he’s also concerned by a recent U.S. Geological Survey study of Greenport showing serious saltwater inundation under the village.
“I, as the village mayor, would rather be on the side of caution and planning, and see this pipeline being built,” he said. “Our fire department can’t afford not to have this. On conservation, we all need to do a hell of a lot better, but this is an enormous need that we cannot delay.”
Greenport Village Deputy Mayor Patrick Brennan said he was also alarmed to hear about the low water levels in the storage tank.
“I believe this proposal supports my community’s needs,” he said. “Greenport is a pro-sensible development community, supporting our robust downtown business district and specific housing goals. For our current needs and long-term goals, I think this is necessary.”
Southold’s Take
Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski asked the Water Authority to address historical drainage issues while working in the Main Road and, if the Orient portion of the route is ever completed, to time it concurrently with burying the power lines there. He also asked the Water Authority to more closely examine the contribution of road salt to the chlorides that are found in many of Southold’s wells. He also urged the Water Authority to wait to complete its environmental review until the U.S. Geological Survey finishes a project underway mapping the North Fork’s aquifer, which has found a confining clay layer that protects the region’s water supply.
He also asked the Water Authority to consider the effectiveness of Southold’s land preservation programs before building a pipeline based on potential development that might not happen due to conservation efforts.
“Land preservation efforts are going to mitigate a lot of that over time, as they have in the past,” he said.
“I think that groundwater study would be really critical in understanding the impact of all of this,” he added.
Mr. Pokorny said later that the Water Authority had determined that chlorides in some wells on Ackerly Pond Lane in Southold and Mill Lane in Peconic were determined to be coming from nearby Suffolk County catch basins for road runoff, but the Water Authority has been unsuccessful in getting the county to switch to other de-icing methods on roads here.
Southold Town Trustees Nick Krupski and Eric Sepenoski both said they believe the trustees should be considered “involved agencies” for the purpose of the review, not just “interested agencies,” because the Orient route includes significant wetlands under Trustee jurisdiction.
“With that pipeline proposed for Orient, should it go through, you’re going to see increased development,” said Mr. Sepenoski. “The profit motivations are there. You’re going to see increased water usage on the waterfront as people install sod lawns and treat and fertilize them. That’s something we fight on as trustees, to prevent nitrification of our surface waters and damage to our nationally recognized estuary.”
Environmental Concerns
One major concern along the Main Road route is a $2.2 million wetland restoration project underway in Aquebogue near the headwaters of Meetighouse Creek, said Valerie Virgona of the Peconic Estuary Partnership.
“If the area is dewatered and the road is completely ripped up, that could be a major impact on a brand new project,” she said. “In the Draft EIS, the new route was not explored sufficiently, we feel.”
“If 70 percent of this water is used for watering lawns, what is to stop 70 percent of the new water just being used on palatial estates?” she added.
Caroline Yates, who chairs Southold Town’s Water Advisory Committee, asked if the Water Authority had explored drilling public water wells on preserved farmland in Southold.
“There may be some good water beneath the preserved farmland,” she said.
Alexa Annunziata of the Peconic Baykeeper asked the Water Authority to examine legacy contaminants in the spoils they dig up while installing the pipeline, while Anne Murray of the North Fork Environmental Council urged the Water Authority to wait until the USGS study is complete.
“Explain how rising sea levels, climate change and devastating storms will affect the pipe,” Ms. Murray added. “How can you mitigate the risk of the pipe being destroyed? Orient has been cut off from the mainland many times.”
Margaret de Cruz, also of the North Fork Environmental Council, asked the Water Authority to urge people to not plant lawns and instead plant native plants, and to look into graywater systems which are widely used in Europe but not in the United States.
Nancy DePas Reinertsen and her husband, Ralph Reinertsen, leaders of the North Fork Chapter of ReWild Long Island, urged the Water Authority to work with environmental groups to change the public perception of the need for lawns.
“I’m sorry guys, but this seems like it’s a done deal,” said Ms. DePas Reinertsen. “You put thousands of dollars into giving people rain gauges and sensors, but you were kind of dismissive. Let’s work with environmental organizations so people will put in native plants.”
She added that ReWild Long Island inially started out of a partnership with the Port Washington Water Authority.
“Nowhere in your presentation did you mention you were going to work with people who are conservation leaders in the community,” said Mr. Reinertsen. “There are groups you can speak to who have started this work.”
Where Does Riverhead Stand?
Riverhead Town Supervisor Jerry Halpin and Environmental Analyst Jeffrey Seeman attended the hearing but did not speak, and both declined to comment after the hearing.
Both said they plan to speak at the third and final public hearing at the Riverhead Free Library on Wednesday, Aug. 26 at 4:30 p.m. Mr. Seeman said he also expects to submit at least 16 pages of comments at that time.
The Water Authority is currently planning to take written comments through Sept. 11 at 5 p.m., though Mr. Szabo said they will likely extend that comment period, perhaps for about a week, after pressure from Southold Town.
The DEIS and other documents can be found on SCWA’s North Fork Pipeline page.
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