Comments welcome on scope of environmental review for North Fork water main extension through July 11

The Suffolk County Water Authority is moving ahead with plans to construct a new water main through the Town of Riverhead to deliver drinking water to its customers in the Town of Southold — a project SCWA officials say is essential to address existing water supply deficiencies on the North Fork.

Public comments on the project’s draft scope are being accepted through Friday, July 11 at 5 p.m. SCWA has posted project information and a form to submit feedback on its website.

In an interview last week, SCWA CEO Jeff Szabo said the project is not about expansion, but rather about securing the water supply for the more than 12,000 existing SCWA customers in Southold, where infrastructure is under growing pressure during peak demand periods, particularly hot summer days or in the event of a fire.

“Southold does not have the water to support the existing community,” Szabo said. “This project is the long-term solution. It will give them the water they need without changing the culture of the North Fork.”

Environmental review underway

The water authority is currently working through the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) process, having hosted public scoping sessions in Westhampton, Riverhead, and Southold. The public comment period on the draft scope was extended to July 11 at the request of Southold officials.

Following the close of comments, SCWA’s consultant, Nelson & Pope, will prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), addressing public concerns and exploring alternatives. Additional public hearings will follow.

The water authority was designated the lead agency for the environmental review, after the commissioner of the State Department of Environmental Conservation last year rejected a challenge by the Town of Riverhead seeking lead agency status.

Riverhead officials voice concerns 

Riverhead officials have raised concerns about being designated as an “interested agency” rather than “involved agency,” which would have granted them more say in the review process.

Hubbard said he wrote the water authority a letter asking for the town to be considered an involved agency.

Milazzo said SCWA will evaluate the issue through the legal lens of the Monroe balancing test — the state standard used when a state authority operates within a local jurisdiction — and include that analysis in the DEIS.

Riverhead officials are worried about the route now planned for the pipeline, which will run along County Road 105 in Flanders to Northville Turnpike and then east on Sound Avenue to the Southold Town line. 

Sound Avenue is a heavily trafficked roadway and has very narrow shoulders, Supervisor Tim Hubbard said. The work to open the road to lay the water main has the potential to cause major traffic backups, Hubbbard said. 

Town officials discussed issues with SCWA officials last week in a meeting set up by County Legislator Catherine Stark. 

Both Hubbard and Szabo said the meeting was cordial and productive.

“They know our concerns,” Hubbard said.

“We know we’re not always going to agree, but we always have to look for improvement,” Szabo said. “We’ll continue to listen and work with the community.”

“We’re looking at a path that gets us into our distribution system near the Riverhead-Southold town line as easily as possible,” Szabo said.

SCWA says the work will proceed in small, controlled increments of 500 to 1,000 feet per day, with appropriate traffic controls and coordination to minimize disruption.

“We do this every day,” Szabo said.  “Traffic control is built into the project plan.”

“Even if it’s 300 feet per day, it could cause major disruption,” Hubbard said.

SCWA originally considered routing the pipeline along Peconic Bay Boulevard, but ultimately shifted to Sound Avenue due to the complexity and cost of multiple water crossings along the Peconic Bay Boulevard route, Szabo said.

The pipeline will be installed in the public right-of-way, and no private property easements are anticipated. The only major crossing involves the Peconic River, where SCWA plans to use directional drilling to install the pipe approximately 30 feet beneath the riverbed — a method commonly used by the authority in similar infrastructure projects.

Water main project won’t spur development: SCWA

Szabo emphasized that the pipeline is not being built to expand service in Southold or to increase density or development. Officials stressed that land use decisions rest with local municipalities, not the water authority.

“We supply water. We don’t control zoning,” Szabo said. “People shouldn’t point to us as if we’re the ones driving change.”

Although the SCWA will pass through the Town of Riverhead, it will not serve any customers in the town, which is served by the Riverhead Water District.

Reminder: The public comment period on the project’s draft scope closes at 5 p.m. on Friday, July 11. Residents can review documents and submit feedback on SCWA’s website: https://www.scwa.com/nfp/