Public water

The Suffolk County Water Authority broke ground this week on an eight-mile pipeline that will traverse eastern Riverhead Town to connect its water supply and distribution system in Southold Town to water sources in the Central Pine Barrens.

Construction of public water mains to serve the southwest corner of Riverhead Town could start by the end of the year, Suffolk County Water Authority officials told residents at a meeting in Manorville last night. But a funding shortfall of $2.8 million remains.

Riverhead has been awarded more than $3.8 million in grant funding for the extension of public water to 64 homes Manorville area, and a separate $1.2 million grant to extend public water to homes on Forge Road in Calverton.

Clean water activist Adrienne Esposito organized a press conference in Manorville today, where residents gathered to demand state officials provide funding for public water in a remote area of Manorville where private wells are contaminated with toxic chemicals.

With standards now in place in New York for "emerging contaminants," the county health department will have to test homeowners' wells for them and homes where wells exceed the new standards will be eligible for special filtration systems.