Year in Review: Controversial SCWA pipeline project moves forward
The Suffolk County Water Authority proposed a 12-mile pipeline across the North Fork to supplement existing systems in Southold Town. Tapping wells in Flanders, the plan routes through Riverhead to Southold, where more water is needed, according to SCWA.
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.
Supervisor Al Krupski said conservation efforts had been ongoing in Southold with new legislation to regulate irrigation signed into law in July. The town has also spent millions of dollars to recharge stormwater into the aquifer.
With these efforts in mind, Mr. Krupski said he believes the community has yet to “scratch the surface” with conservation efforts.
SCWA held a hearing in Southold on Oct. 8 arguing it should have immunity as a regional entity.
Concerns expressed by Riverhead and Southold officials and consultants included confusion over the exact placement of the water main extension, a lack of inclusion in the planning of the pipeline and a general distrust that the local impact of the project was considered.
Even Southold officials — whose residents would get the water — questioned whether SCWA was overstating the extent of the water crisis. Plans for a North Fork pipeline date back to 2003, according to Riverhead Water District Superintendent Frank Mancini.
Southold Town Councilman Greg Doroski noted the importance of both Southold and Riverhead towns working as “a unified front” on this matter.
During an informational meeting in Peconic in June, community members listed hundreds of concerns about the pipeline — concerns that Southold Town officials noted and submitted in a six-page questionnaire to the SCWA, Mr. Doroski said.
In a 67-page Final Scope released Monday, Dec. 1, SCWA outlined the environmental review for the two-phase project, which is estimated to cost $35 million for the first phase alone. The document sets the stage for a Draft Environmental Impact Statement expected by late January, SCWA communications director Daniel Dubois told The Suffolk Times.
Also in December, SCWA pushed forward its controversial North Fork pipeline despite a standoff with Riverhead over whether the regional authority can bypass local zoning control.
