Town board authorizes water-district projects; residents raise costs, 1,4-dioxane and oversight concerns

The Town of Huntington authorized a series of water- and sewer-district improvement projects at a town-board meeting that also included vigorous public comment about rising water bills, state-mandated treatment for the contaminant 1,4-dioxane, and requests for greater district oversight.

On roll-call votes the board approved requests from multiple special districts under Town Law —7202-b, with the board noting that debt service on the typical district bond is borne by district ratepayers rather than the town at large.

Greenlawn Water District Nathaniel (Nat) Corwin of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein presented the Greenlawn Water District's request to authorize an increase and improvement of facilities for Well Number 5 at an estimated cost of $9,994,000, including an advanced oxidation process (AOP) system for treatment of 1,4-dioxane. "Well number 5 accounts for approximately 22% of the water district's pumping capacity," Corwin said, and the project includes AOP, GAC equipment, a building and a generator. He said the state set a 1,4-dioxane maximum contaminant level at 1 part per billion in February 2020 and that grant funding had not yet been made available for this type of project. The town board subsequently approved the authorization by roll call, 5-0.

Dix Hills Water District The board heard two Dix Hills items: a proposed $700,000 equipment acquisition for the Dix Hills Water District and separate wellhead treatment improvements for Plant Number 5 at an estimated $5,600,000. Speakers asked whether the costs would fall to district ratepayers; Supervisor Smith and others clarified that debt service from the bonds would be charged to residents of the affected water district. "That money and that particular chunk is strictly for filtering of the 1,4," Supervisor Smith said in response to a question about contamination treatment. The board authorized the Dix Hills items by roll-call votes (each adopted 5-0).

South Huntington Water District H2M's Tim McGuire, representing the South Huntington Water District, described two projects: rehabilitation of a 1.5-million-gallon storage tank at Plant 12 and the installation of a 600-kW diesel emergency generator at Plant 8. The two projects together were estimated at $2,400,000; McGuire said the district had scheduled the work so new debt service would be offset by payoffs of prior debt. The board voted to authorize the request, 5-0.

Huntington Sewer District The town also approved authorization for wastewater treatment plant capacity improvements in the Huntington Sewer District at an estimated cost of $1,100,000 (roll-call vote passed 5-0).

Public comment and oversight concerns Public commenters pressed for greater transparency and questioned affordability. Phyllis Austrian, a Greenlawn resident, said her water bill recently rose from $64 to $144 and urged the board to delay borrowing in the current economic climate: "This is not the time to ask for $6,000,000 in loans," she said. Residents also criticized the governance and transparency of special districts. Michael Kornfeld, a longtime resident and ratepayer in the South Huntington Water District, criticized the districts' oversight and noted past bond allocations that residents perceived as poorly tracked, calling for an audit by New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

Officials and district representatives explained the projects were largely state driven because of emerging contaminant standards and that district ratepayers will pay debt service. "It is required, but ... they feel they'd be negligent if they didn't do that," a district liaison said about the 1,4-dioxane work. Several speakers urged stronger enforcement of vendor compliance elsewhere in the meeting when discussing vaping retailers; others asked for a town-level public advocate to represent residents in large special-district financial decisions.

Votes at a glance - Greenlawn Water District (Well 5 AOP): authorize increase and improvement; estimated cost $9,994,000; bond amount up to $6,000,000; vote: 5-0 (adopted). - Dix Hills Water District (equipment): authorize equipment acquisition; estimated cost $700,000; vote: 5-0 (adopted). - Dix Hills Water District (Plant 5 wellhead improvements): estimated cost $5,600,000; vote: 5-0 (adopted). - South Huntington Water District (tank rehab and generator): estimated cost $2,400,000; vote: 5-0 (adopted). - Huntington Sewer District (wastewater treatment capacity): estimated cost $1,100,000; vote: 5-0 (adopted).

What officials said about finances and authority Town staff and district engineers repeatedly emphasized that the bonding authority and debt allocation are arranged so that only district ratepayers pay the resulting assessments. District representatives said they have pursued grant funding but, as Nat Corwin said for Greenlawn, "to date, no grant funding has been made available for this type of a project."

What remains unresolved Residents asked the board for stronger public oversight mechanisms for special districts and clearer timelines for how bond funds will be spent. The board approved the project authorizations, but several speakers indicated they would press for audits, mediation or additional town-level advocacy on large special-district borrowings.