Orient Association to host water forum Oct. 25

Water issues always seem to be at the forefront of conversations all over the North Fork. To address the concerns of local residents regarding both contaminants and the possibility of public water, the Orient Association will host a panel of regional experts at Poquatuck Hall in Orient on Saturday, Oct. 25. 

The Forum is a follow-up to the Orient Water Resources Study (orientassociation.org/waterreport), which details Orient’s hydrology, the interplay of water resources, the current balances and imbalances, trends for the future and a number of different options addressing current and future areas of concern. The study, prepared by CDM/Smith, draws from extensive resources including federal, state, county, and town agencies, as well as many stakeholders in Orient. 

“I think everybody in the community needs to be aware just how fragile to our water is,” said Tony Asch, president of the Orient Association. “I think a lot of people still don’t understand the implications of all that. So we pulled together the panels.”

The panels will tackle water issues from three different points. The first panel will address the contamination of local water with PFAS and other chemicals, how serious the issues is, and what can be done to mitigate the problem.

“Our study indicates that if we don’t have too much growth that the aquifer is adequate, but there are a lot of things that can upset the balance in our aquifer, including saltwater intrusion and PFAS chemicals and some nitrates from fertilizers or lawn treatments and things like that,” Mr. Asch said. The panel will “explain more about what’s going on with the PFAS, how it might affect individual homeowners and what remedies are available.”

The panel addressing forever chemicals and other contaminants includes Jason Hime, Principal Public Health Engineer of the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, Department of Water Resources; Andy Rapiejko, Associate Hydrogeologist at Suffolk County Department of Health Services; and Robert Bellotti, Project Manager in the NY State Dept. Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), Division of Environmental Remediation.

The second panel will cover saltwater intrusion, an ongoing problem for many areas on Long Island, but of particular concern to the people of Orient due to how shallow the aquifer is there.

“This is a long-term concern, but Orient has a number of homes that are right on Peconic Bay, and the sea level rises and pushes saltwater into our shallow aquifer. Essentially, you wind up with wells that have high levels of sodium. This is already somewhat of a problem, because when residents use large amounts of water for watering lawns or filling pools, it creates a hole in the aquifer, which pulls saltwater in,” Mr. Asch said.

Addressing Sea Level Rise and Saltwater Intrusion on the panel are Fred Stumm, Research Hydrologist with the United States Geological Survey; Mary Anne Taylor, Vice President, CDM Smith; and Joe Finora, Town Engineer, Shelter Island.

The final water forum panel covers a thorny issue for Orient and North Fork residents in general: the extension of a Suffolk County Water Authority water line from Flanders through Riverhead and out to Orient.

“That’s been a contentious issue in Orient, because some Orienters feel that may stimulate excess development, but a lot of people are thinking a little bit more about the possibility of public water to solve the local PFAS problems and the long-term saltwater intrusion issues,” said Mr. Asch. “Orienters have been very involved in the issue of water possibly coming in to Orient. I think it’s an excellent opportunity for the residents to better understand the implications and nuances of what public water in Orient would be.”

Addressing Public Water on the panel will be Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski, Joe Pokorny of the SCWA and Bob DeLuca of Group for the East End.

The Forum is open to the public and attendance is free. Poquatuck Hall is located at: 1160 Village Lane, Orient. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP at: orientassociation.org/waterforumRSVP.

The public may submit questions to the panels in advance at https://orientassociation.org/WaterForumQuestions.