Riverhead Sewer District

The health department has lifted a Jan. 14 health advisory urging the public against recreating in the tidal waters of the Peconic, after water tests indicate the ares is suitable for primary contact recreation.

Ten thousand gallons of untreated wastewater were absorbed into the ground after pipe break, sewer district official says.

The county health department is urging people against contact with the tidal waters of the Peconic River after a pipe break at an East Main Street construction site caused the discharge of 10,000 gallons of untreated sewage into the river.

Riverhead Town’s $2 million claim for a sewer tax stabilization payment from the county’s drinking water protection program fund was shot down this week by a state appellate court.

One of Riverhead Town’s longest serving senior employees, Sewer District Superintendent Michael Reichel, is set to retire this month after 35 years as its top wastewater treatment official.

A State Supreme Court judge has ruled that Riverhead Town illegally overcharged Suffolk County for the treatment of wastewater generated by the county jail, court complex and county center from 2018 to 2021.

Riverhead argues that the Riverside Sewer District should include the county facilities in Riverside, currently served by the Riverhead Town sewage treatment plant. The lawsuit filed Wednesday, accuses Southampton of violating state environmental laws and the State Constitution.

An $8 million increase in the estimated cost of a new upgrade to the town’s wastewater treatment facilities was approved by the Town Board last week. The estimated cost was $10.5 million in 2022 but bids came in at $18.65 million. Even so, the town will save annually on the cost of handling sludge, according to officials.

Suffolk County has sued the Town of Riverhead over sewer rates established earlier this year for out-of-town users — which the county says is targeted at its facilities in Riverside.

A State Supreme Court justice has ruled against the Town of Riverhead in a 2017 lawsuit brought to compel Suffolk County to pay the Riverhead Sewer District more than $2 million from the Drinking Water Protection Program.