SCWA looks to meet demand with 12-mile North Fork pipeline
The Suffolk County Water Authority proposed a 12-mile pipeline across the North Fork to supplement existing systems in Riverhead and Southold Towns.
The pipeline would augment existing water supplies in the Flanders area to meet demand in Southold, ensure water quality and availability, increase system reliability, and recharge the aquifer with fresh water, according to SCWA documents.
A majority of Southold residents live in what is known as the “Southold Low” pressure zone and are serviced across 60 low-capacity wells, according to SCWA director of construction and maintenance Brendan Warner.
The SCWA is not a government entity but an independent public-benefit corporation operating under the Public Authorities Law of the State of New York. The SCWA services 9,500 customers in Southold.
The new water sources would have “minimal impacts on the saltwater interface and replenish and rehabilitate the local aquifer system with the water conveyed to the area,” per the SCWA documents. It would also “reduce the current environmental impact” it takes to maintain Southold’s wells.
“In Southold, those wells are very shallow … and the amount that we can pull out to meet demand is very low,” SCWA chief executive officer Jeffrey Szabo said. “So when there isn’t that water availability, you either look for additional places for wells to try to pull up [more water], and we’ve sort of been doing that for a long time. We’ve come to the conclusion that’s not feasible, that’s not a long-term solution. The water isn’t there; we need to move water in.”
The proposed pipeline project will span 11.94 miles and disturb 6.51 miles with trenching, directional drill test pits and a booster station site. A majority of the water main installations will be located within street rights-of-way along the identified routes, consisting primarily of county roads.
Phase one of the North Fork pipeline — the Riverside and Flanders to Jamesport and Laurel main — is estimated to cost $35 million, according to Mr. Szabo. He said the SCWA would seek state and federal grants to fund the project over multiple years once the environmental review is complete.
Proposed pipeline locations
Phase One: Flanders to Laurel main
The main from Riverside and Flanders in Southampton to the Riverhead-Southold town line in Jamesport and Laurel would be 8.15 miles. It would draw water from existing wells in Flanders.
A 24-inch diameter transmission water main would begin at the intersection of Flanders Road and Cross River Drive, continue north along Cross River Drive under the Peconic River and north along Cross River Drive until its intersection with Northville Turnpike.
From there, the pipeline would extend northeast along Northville Turnpike to the intersection of Northville Turnpike and Sound Avenue, then east along Sound Avenue to Pier Avenue at a proposed booster station north of the Pier Avenue and Sound Avenue intersection.
The 405-square-foot booster station would be built on a 1.5-acre property owned by SCWA. Two 16-inch mains will be installed to and from the booster station to service the pipeline.
The SCWA property is 200 feet north of the Pier Avenue and Sound Avenue intersection on the west side of Pier Avenue in Jamesport. The booster station would be set roughly 97 feet back from the street and about 40 feet from the closest adjacent property line.
From the booster station, the Riverside to Laurel main would continue east along Sound Avenue for 1.39 miles to the Jamesport Wellfield and Pump Station at the Town of Riverhead and Town of Southold municipal boundary between Jamesport and Laurel.
No customer service connections will be made within the Riverhead Water District service area.
Phase Two: East Marion to Orient main
The East Marion to Orient water main would span 3.79 miles, and consist of a combination of six, eight and 12 inch-diameter mains in Orient south of Sound Avenue along the east shore of Orient Harbor.
It would extend northeast along Main Road from East Marion to the intersection of Tabor Road and south along Tabor Road down several streets in the neighborhood — including parts of Orchard Street, Navy Street, King Street, Vincent Street, Willow Street, Fletcher Street, Skippers Lane, Harbor River Road and Oyster Ponds Lane. Service lines would be installed to each home along the service route, according to SCWA documents.
To build the East Marion to Orient main, Mr. Szabo said a certain number of residents would have to express interest in connecting to the water authorities services before proceeding with construction.
SCWA will operate the water mains once they are built.
Water usage in Southold
The Flanders to Laurel water main would provide 6,000 gallons per minute or 8,640,000 gallons per day, and the East Marion to Orient water main would provide 250 gallons per minute, which could service 52 to 117 homes in the area.
A study by Peconic Green Growth found that between September 2015 and August 2016, roughly 1.2 billion gallons were pumped by SCWA in Southold. At 3.2 billion gallons per year, the proposed main extension could provide more than twice the amount of water pumped during that time annually, architect Glynis Berry said at a North Fork Civics meeting June 2.
The average estimated water used inside a Southold home is 206 gallons per day, based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s average interior water usage estimate and the Southold Comprehensive Plan’s occupancy rate of 2.6 people per home.
On average, the average U.S. household uses 320 gallons per day, with outside water use accounting for 30% to 60% of that home’s intake.
As agriculture and tourism boom in the summer months, water usage increases in Southold. The SCWA has estimated that 70% of water used in the town is for irrigation.
The summer median water use for a single-family home in Southold was 247 gallons per day, according to the Peconic Green Growth study. However, the average water used for a similar home in that same time frame was much higher, recorded at 559 gallons per day.
“The concern that we have about not being able to provide water during those peak demand days, that will go away,” Mr. Szabo said of the proposed pipeline project. He said the main extension would quell concerns about whether there would be an adequate water supply for emergency services and fire protection, should they be needed.
“The fear [right now] is that something will go wrong, and we won’t be able to meet that demand,” Mr. Szabo said.
Conservation efforts have been ongoing in Southold, with a public hearing for legislation to regulate irrigation set for June 24. The Town has also spent millions of dollars to recharge stormwater into the aquifer.
With these efforts in mind, Town Supervisor Al Krupski said he believes the community has yet to “scratch the surface” with conservation efforts.
Mr. Szabo said the SCWA plans to continue supporting water conservation efforts in Southold.
“We hope to continue to partner with [Mr. Krupski] to sort of move the ball forward, not only on conservation but also reclamation,” Mr. Szabo said. “Over time, our hope is that we will be able to take some of those 60 wells … out of commission and replenish the aquifer.”
Local waterways affected by proposed pipeline
Part of the project would involve installing a water main with directional drilling beneath the Peconic River and estuary near Cross River Drive bridge between Flanders and Riverhead. The drilling, per the full environmental assessment form submitted by the SCWA, “is not expected to affect aquatic plants.”
The proposed directional drill 30 feet under the Peconic River would be a 1,633 feet long and include a 24-inch-diameter high-density polyethylene pipe that would be encased in bentonite clay.
The proposed mains would also be in close proximity to the wetlands of Sawmill Creek, Terrys Creek, Dam Pond, Orient Harbor and the Long Island Sound. Oysterponds Creek and Orient Harbor next to Orient Yacht Club, which are open for seasonal shellfishing, adjoin the proposed project site.
Pipeline construction timeline
Construction would take place over a 48-month period, Monday through Friday during normal daylight hours, with phase one estimated to be finished by 2030 given the completion of all requirements of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA).
The daily main installation rate for trenched sections is estimated to be 300 to 400 feet per day, and up to 600 feet per day or more on long stretches within grassed shoulder areas such as along sections of Cross River Drive.
Throughout construction, “minor dust” may be generated in trenching and main installation areas, but the SCWA environmental assessment form noted there would be sedimentation controls instituted during the process.
Public comment information
Residents can learn more information about the SCWA’s plans at public scoping sessions in this month.
“This is the perfect time to start getting involved in the environmental review,” Save the Sound Long Island project manager Louise Harrison said at the June 2 North Fork Civics meeting.
Ms. Harrison advised community members to pose any questions they have about the project as directives during scoping sessions to be included in the environmental impact statement.
“This is not the time to say ‘I’m against this project’ and ‘go away,’” she said. “You can say it, but it’s not going to have any affect on this process. This process is going to keep proceeding to its conclusion.”
The environmental impact statement will be created based on the comments submitted during the scope period and can take as long as the SCWA decides it needs to take. Between now and the final environmental impact statement, the project could be changed slightly throughout the process, but the public will have the opportunity to review a draft before it is finalized.
A scoping meeting will be held Tuesday, June 10, at 6 p.m. at Riverhead Public Library, located at 330 Court St., Riverhead. Another meeting will be held on Thursday, June 12, at 6 p.m. at Southold Recreation Center, located at 970 Peconic Lane.
Comments on the North Fork Pipeline draft environmental review can also be submitted online at scwa.com/nfp-comment/. The comment deadline is Wednesday, June 25.
