Suffolk County Water Authority officials brief Southampton board on PFAS response and North Fork pipeline plan

Suffolk County Water Authority CEO Jeff Sabo and deputy CEO Joseph Portnoy updated the Southampton Town Board on July 16 about the Authority’s testing, treatment and a proposed pipeline to supply additional water to the North Fork.

Sabo said the Authority, a New York public benefit corporation that supplies water to roughly 1.2 million Suffolk County residents, runs an expansive laboratory program and “test[s] for almost 500” compounds, far more than required. Joseph Portnoy said the lab handles roughly 200,000 samples annually and that the Authority publishes those results in its annual drinking-water quality report.

Why it matters: the Authority told the board it is balancing short-term supply challenges, including contamination at a Bridgehampton/Easthampton well field tied to a battery-storage facility fire, with longer-term capacity needs on the North Fork. Portnoy said three of four wells at the affected field are out of service and the Authority has filed suit against the polluters; officials said they are acting to recover wells while urging resident conservation.

On contaminant standards and treatment, Portnoy noted the Authority has invested in research and development — including funding Stony Brook’s Center for Clean Water Technology — and developed approved treatment methods (an advanced oxidation approach for 1,4-dioxane). The presenters said they follow federal and state regulators and that New York’s PFAS guidance cited in the briefing was 10 parts per trillion while a federal standard of 4 parts per trillion takes effect in later regulatory timetables; the Authority said it aims for levels well below those limits when possible.

Conservation and demand management were a central theme. Sabo and Portnoy described a communications and rebate program (smart irrigation controllers, pool covers, devices) funded at “several hundred thousand dollars” annually and more than $100,000 a year in customer rebate credits. The Authority uses tiered billing with steep price increases past consumption thresholds and is planning additional meter upgrades to enable near-continuous wireless reads that would better identify peak use.

North Fork pipeline proposal: Portnoy said the Authority’s analysis estimates the North Fork will need roughly 6,000 gallons per minute of additional supply to meet demand out to mid-century; the pipeline’s projected average annual flow would be about 1,000 gallons per minute with peak capacity up to 6,000 gpm. Consultants retained for the project include CDM Smith (water analysis) and Nelson era Pope (engineering and environmental). A draft environmental impact statement (DEIS/EIS) was described as being finalized and expected to be submitted to the Authority’s board in the coming weeks; the Authority plans to post the draft, circulate it to interested parties, and hold public hearings.

Officials addressed local concerns about taking water from South Shore pressure zones to supply the North Fork, including potential effects on source aquifers and saltwater intrusion. Portnoy said the DEIS will analyze impacts both where the water is taken and where it is delivered and present mitigation strategies; the Authority said its consultants will model aquifer-level changes and that public hearings will follow the DEIS release.

Southampton storage-tank request: Portnoy described a proposed 2,000,000-gallon ground storage tank on village-owned high ground off North McGee Street and Sabonak Road, plus an iron-removal filter. The Authority requested three access easements from the town; appraisals are underway and the Authority said most installation work would be underground and directional-drilled to minimize surface disturbance.

Next steps: the Authority expects to post the draft environmental document, hold public hearings (dates mentioned for planned outreach), answer public comments received during scoping, and provide additional technical information to the Town Board and the public. The presentation closed with the Authority promising to share the draft report with interested town officials and hold follow-up sessions.

Quotes that capture the presentation: “We test for almost 500 compounds,” Jeff Sabo said, and Portnoy added, “we can move from the time we get a bad sample to the time we have a concrete pad in about a month” when a filtration system is required.

The Town Board did not take any formal vote on the pipeline or tank during the session; officials said the DEIS and subsequent public comment period will frame any future board decisions.