Suffolk County Water Authority

The Suffolk County Water Authority’s groundbreaking in Laurel last week on an eight-mile pipeline to deliver public water to the North Fork wasn’t a groundbreaking at all, a water authority spokesperson told RiverheadLOCAL this week.

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.

A community information meeting on the status of a public water extension to serve homes in the Manorville area will take place on Wednesday, March 22 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Manorville Fire Department, according to an announcement by the water authority.

The Suffolk County Water Authority will received $5 million of federal funding to bring public water extension to homes in Calverton within the Town of Brookhaven, some of which have drinking water wells contaminated by toxic chemicals.

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.

Calverton and Manorville residents will rally Wednesday for clean water, after a request for funding for a public water hookup was denied by the state. “The Thanksgiving menu for Calverton is turkey, stuffing, gravy and a side helping of toxic chemicals,” said Adrienne Esposito of Citizens Campaign for the Environment.

Riverhead Town will enter into an agreement with the Suffolk County Water Authority to have the authority provide public water to an area of Manorville the town water district has been unable to serve.

Residents lobbying for more than 60 homes in Manorville to be hooked up to public water pleaded with the Riverhead Town Board Tuesday to sign an inter-municipal agreement with Suffolk County Water Authority to strengthen its grant application and finally bring water to their neighborhood.

Riverhead Town and the Suffolk County Water Authority are negotiating the terms of the intermunicipal agreement for their planned joint effort to bring public water to an area of Manorville near the former Northrop Grumman manufacturing plant in Calverton where private drinking water wells are contaminated by toxic chemicals.