Riverhead Water District

Water District Superintendent Frank Mancini said during Wednesday’s water forum that the town has had a difficult time obtaining contaminated private well data within the boundaries of the Riverhead Water District from the Department of Environmental Conservation and Suffolk County Department of Health Services. He asked residents with private well contamination to send the water district their test results, because documentation will help the town gain infrastructure grant funding.

The second Riverhead Town water forum will be held in the town board meeting room on Wednesday. The forum aims to facilitate an informal discussion between town officials and residents on issues pertaining to the Riverhead Water District and Riverhead’s public water supply.

Riverhead is seeking grant funding from New York State to help the Riverhead Water District provide public water to an area of Calverton near the terminus of the Long Island Expressway where health-threatening contaminants have been identified in private drinking water wells.

Riverhead has signed a contract with the state for $627,327 in funding to replace drinking water lines that contain lead.

Residents near the former Grumman facility in Calverton who rely on private wells are worried about storm-damaged vehicle storage on a runway there as they anxiously await word on federal funding for water main extensions to serve their neighborhood, where some wells are polluted by various contaminants.

Riverhead Town will update residents and have conversations on water quality issues and infrastructure during the town's first water forum on Sept. 15, according to Councilman Ken Rothwell.

With Riverhead Water District's capacity issues, the planning board can't approve projects that depend on public water knowing that the water district can't service it, Planning Board Chairman Stan Carey said Thursday.

"Love the color? Want some?" Irate Manorville resident Clare Bennett sprayed discolored tap water from her home in air at the town board meeting July 7. She demanded action to bring public water to an area south of the former Grumman site where private wells are contaminated with a host of chemicals.

Officials say it's imperative for residents and businesses practice water conservation measures when it comes to irrigating their lawns and landscapes.

The water authority's request to Sen. Charles Schumer and Sen Kirsten Gillibrand includes funding to provide public water to Manorville homes in both Riverhead and Brookhaven towns, as well as funding for a pipeline to extend water from the Pine Barrens Region to the Town of Southold.