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Residents urge fast action on Oakdale sewer expansion as Legislature holds public hearing
Summary
At a June 3 public hearing, Oakdale residents urged the Suffolk County Legislature to proceed quickly with Sewer District No. 3 – Southwest (Zone E – Oakdale West). Lawmakers said Federal, State and County funding is in place and that a public referendum is expected later this year after the legal steps and public outreach are complete.
Residents and civic leaders pressed the Suffolk County Legislature June 3 to move ahead with a planned extension of Suffolk County Sewer District No. 3 – Southwest to Oakdale West, citing worsening shoreline pollution and a long history of unmet sewer needs.
"We are living in the most polluted area in the United States and we're doing nothing for the water," said Richard Sullivan, an Oakdale waterfront resident. "The longer we wait the longer nothing gets done."
Leaders of the local community and elected officials described a funding package assembled from multiple sources, including Federal (FEMA/other), State and County allocations, and said the county has recently recouped funds previously diverted during the COVID period. Legislator Anthony Piccirillo, who has worked on the Oakdale effort, said federal and state matches were secured and that the Administration and the Legislature are following the legal steps required before a public referendum.
"Once all these legal processes are cured, then we could have the public meeting and then the vote that's going to happen for the 386 homes that will be covered by phase IA of the Oakdale Sewer Project," Piccirillo said on the record.
Speakers including longtime Oakdale residents Al Kulfan and Elizabeth Sullivan urged the Legislature not to delay the work, and said a referendum could be scheduled before the end of the year. County staff and the Legislature confirmed legal steps — public hearings, SEQRA/engineering reviews and a public vote — remain part of the process.
Why it matters Oakdale and nearby shorelines have been identified by residents as suffering recurring sewage-related pollution during tidal cycles; sewer connections are intended to reduce nitrogen and bacterial loading to local waterways. Lawmakers said multi-source funding is in place, but public approval steps and final engineering are required before construction.
Next steps Public hearings will remain open as the county completes its environmental and legal clearances. Legislators said they expect to set a public referendum date this year and will continue to brief residents on timing and costs.
Provable transcript segments: topic intro at SEG 2198; resident comments SEG 2209–SEG 2276.
