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East Hampton officials warn of PFAS contamination near Buckskill wells; private well testing urged
Summary
Village leaders said PFAS was found in the Suffolk County Water Authority well field near Buckskill/Route 27 after a 2023 power-plant fire, two municipal wells were shut and about 30 private wells have been flagged; residents on private wells were urged to get free testing from the health department.
Mayor Jerry Larson warned at the June 17 Village Board meeting that testing by Suffolk County found elevated PFAS at the Buckskill/Route 27 well field and that two of the four wells there are contaminated and have been shut down.
“The water that’s coming into your house is perfectly fine,” Larson said, adding that the greater concern is private wells in the area. He said about 30 private homes have been identified so far and that the Suffolk County Department of Health has been knocking on doors and offering free well testing.
Larson described the likely origin as runoff from a 2023 fire at the Cove Hollow power plant, during which roughly 2,000,000 gallons of water used to fight the blaze entered the ground near the well field. He said the county is working to redistribute treated supply from other well fields and urged conservation for nonessential uses such as irrigation.
The board voted to have village staff arrange independent testing; Larson said he would instruct staff to contract with a private firm to perform village-level well testing in the affected area to confirm county results.
Health-department contact information for free testing was displayed during the meeting; officials said residents on private wells should contact the Suffolk County Department of Health to arrange testing. The board emphasized that bottled or municipal-supplied water was not being recalled for customers of the county system but that private well users should not delay testing.
The village did not provide a definitive remediation timeline at the meeting. Officials said use restrictions and well shutdowns could continue into July and August depending on demand and treatment options.
