North Fork water pipeline to be rerouted from Sound Avenue

The Suffolk County Water Authority plans to take a more direct route to pump more water to Southold Town, avoiding Sound Avenue in a move officials say will save $10 million and accelerate the project by two years.

The North Fork pipeline project is intended to address water supply concerns in Southold, where water authority officials say the shallow aquifer is burdened by seasonal overpumping, saltwater intrusion and contamination.

To keep pace with demand, the pipeline would connect about 9,500 customers in Southold Town to deeper supplies in the pine barrens, according to the water authority.

An earlier proposal envisioning the pipeline along Sound Avenue drew sharp opposition, particularly from Riverhead residents and officials over the impacts on a key agricultural and tourism corridor where traffic backs up for miles during harvest season.

Under the newly proposed route, the connection would start at the intersection of Flanders Road and County Route 105 and run north until Main Road, where a new booster station would be built at the southeast corner. From there, the pipeline would run east and connect to an existing main at Franklinville Road and Main Road in Laurel.

Jeff Szabo, SCWA's chief executive officer, said the new plan was formed in response to public feedback.

“This new route allows us to execute the project swiftly while keeping community impacts to an absolute minimum,” Szabo said in a statement.

Originally projected to cost $35 million, the pipeline's new estimate is $25 million, SCWA spokesman Daniel Dubois said. The new transmission line is 1 mile shorter than the original, and officials said the shift reduces traffic and environmental impacts and could be completed in 2028 rather than 2030. Three public hearings are planned in August on the new route.

In a statement, SCWA Chairman Charlie Lefkowitz said the project is needed to protect water availability in the region.

“It protects future ratepayers and ensures that we have a sustainable supply of high-quality drinking water for the North Fork,” Lefkowitz said.

Legal battle

The new route comes amid a legal battle between the water authority and Riverhead Town over whether the project is subject to local zoning rules.

Riverhead leaders have argued the project would lead to severe disruptions and hurt businesses on Sound Avenue while providing no public benefit to its residents. The town has an independent water district and SCWA is not proposing any new water hookups in Riverhead.

Riverhead Supervisor Jerry Halpin said the town is reviewing the new route and draft environmental impact statement with its outside counsel and environmental consultant.

“It answers some of our concerns, but not all of them,” Halpin said in an interview. He added that the town’s goal is “to make sure we’re doing what’s best for the entire town, the residents that are going to be affected and our tourism industry.”

SCWA officials said construction would be staged during the offseason and completed in stages of between 300 and 600 feet per day to minimize traffic disruptions.

Riverhead Town Attorney Erik Howard said in an email that while the litigation is ongoing, the new route is a “positive development."

“Main Road is wider, and traffic patterns can likely be planned out for more effective travel along that road,” Howard said.

Howard added the town would still require permits for a proposed booster pump station.

Concerns linger

Though the route using Main Road is seen as a better alternative, Southold Supervisor Al Krupski acknowledged big-picture concerns.

“What assurance is there that there’s a clean water supply … is there enough water there?” Krupski said in an interview. “We don’t want to get to a point where we’ve made a big mistake and we just don’t have enough for the whole East End.”

Krupski said the water authority should consider the pending results of a study by the U.S. Geological Survey to determine where fresh and saltwater meet underground.

In Southold, the proposal ignited debate over conservation after a revelation by the water authority that about 70% of peak summertime water pumping is for lawn irrigation. Residents have also raised concerns about the potential for new development as a result of more water availability.

Southold Town approved new irrigation laws last year to encourage conservation, requiring new automatic sprinkler systems to use rain sensors.

The water authority's three hearings on the new plan and draft environmental review are scheduled for Aug. 19 at the SCWA facility on Old Riverhead Road in Westhampton Beach at 6 p.m.; Aug. 20 at 5 p.m. at the Southold Town Recreation Center; and Aug. 26 at 4:30 p.m. at Riverhead Free Library. SCWA is also accepting written public comments through Sept. 11.