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Posted: Wednesday, July 21, 2010

SCWA: Orient mains could be on by fall

BY BETH YOUNG | STAFF WRITER

BETH YOUNG PHOTO
Freddie Wachsberger of Orient addressing the Trustees during Wednesday's hearing.

A new water main could conceivably be under construction around Labor Day, an official for the Suffolk County Water Authority told a crowd of Orient residents before the Southold Town Trustees Wednesday night, despite assurances from the water authority and Congressman Tim Bishop last week that the project was dead.

After a meeting with Congressman Bishop in his Coram office last Tuesday, the water authority's chairman, Jim Gaughran said in an interview that "it makes absolutely no sense for the town and the water authority to continue to fight over this."

A vocal group of residents in Orient have waged battle against the utility company for allegedly misrepresenting the scope of the project to include just a small area known to have high nitrates in its private wells on Browns Hill Road, when an application for nearly $2 million in federal stimulus money stated that as many as 772 residents could sign on for the service. Residents also fear that with public water will come increased development.

BETH YOUNG PHOTO
Trustees Dave Bergen (center) and John Bredemeyer reviewing materials submitted during the board's Wednesday night hearing on the water authority's request for a wetlands permit.

But the utility still pushed forward with an application before the town trustees for a wetland permit that would allow the installation of the main in the road bed of Route 25. Orient residents packed the town hall meeting room through a more than four-hour meeting, whose last scheduled item was a public hearing on the water authority's application, Wednesday night.

Though attorney E. Christopher Murray, who is representing a number of Orient residents opposed to the pipeline, said that the trustees could not accept an application that did not include a timeline for the project, the water authority's general counsel, Tim Hopkins, was quick to jump to the podium with an answer. He said the project could be started as soon as Labor Day and be completed by October 31.

Bob DeLuca, the president of the Group for the East End and an East Marion resident, also raised concern because the water authority had already received an administrative permit from the trustees to put 400 feet of pipeline under Dam Pond. That action, he said, was a violation of the State Environmental Quality Review Act, which prohibits a process known as segmentation, when a large project is pushed through regulatory authorities in small pieces.

BETH YOUNG PHOTO
Thunderstorms in Southold during trustee meeting at Town Hall dropped a tree limb on the cars of two attendees and an SCWA rep.

"The state says extension of utilities is growth inducement, you can decide that growth inducement is not there but you have to look at it," he told the board. "If this is not real and there's not going to be a pipe in the ground after Labor Day, you oughta know about it."

"In 20 years of civic advocacy, I don't think I have ever seen an agency so openly disregard the fears and concerns of the community it is commissioned to serve," said Mr. DeLuca. "The water authority now seems so obsessed with winning it has ignored its responsibility to actually earn the support of its potential customers. In so doing, it has turned prospective advocates into enemies, made a mockery of our elected officials and thumbed its nose at our local laws."

In an interview on Thursday, Jim Gaughran, chairman of the authority's board of directors, retreated from comments he made last week regarding the fate of the project. The authority's board, which next meets on July 27, "will have a full discussion of what our options are," he said.

    Last week the chairman said, "It's been made pretty clear from the residents out there that they don't want this. We get a lot of calls from people asking for the pipeline, but it makes absolutely no sense for the town and the water authority to continue to fight over this."

    Mr. Gaughran said the authority assumes that the Trustees will deny the permit, and rather than appeal to the State Supreme Court, the agency will then drop its pipeline bid. A lengthy lawsuit would likely lead to the authority's losing the stimulus funds earmarked to offset the costs, said Mr. Gaughran, and the authority will not proceed without that revenue. But he would not rule out proceeding with the work if the permit is granted. He  declined to comment on whether the authority would drop the project if it gets the permit and residents take the Trustees to court.

    Supervisor Scott Russell, who participated in a recent water main summit held by Congressman Tim Bishop, accused the authority of reneging on comments made at that time.

    "Doesn't state DMV law require that you make a beeping sound when you back up that fast?," he said.  "It was clear from the outset that the pipeline was not going to be coming to Browns Hills. The congressman made that clear." 

      Mr. Bishop's spokesman agrees. "The congressman's understanding was that the pipeline was dead," said Jon Schneider. Following that premise,  he added, the parties in the dispute are to meet in Southold on Friday, July 30, to map out strategies for providing water to Browns Hills in the post-SCWA era.

     "A lot of people are confused," said Mr. Schneider. "This has definitely taken a turn for the bizarre. The community has made it abundantly clear that they are opposed to this project, The notion that there will be some action on a pipeline by Labor Day seems quite flawed."

      It's likely that a lawsuit would follow the approval of a Trustees permit, the spokesman said, and that would put the stimulus grant in jeopardy.

    "Since  the authority has said that it won't go ahead with the project without stimulus money, and any way you slice it, it seems some combination of factors will delay this to take the stimulus money out of the picture,  someone is going 100 miles an hour down a street with a big 'dead end" sign on it."

The board closed the public hearing and will accept written comments for two weeks.

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Comments

On Tuesday, July 27, 2010 11:00am The Ovide Rubber Ball! said:

The Southold Town Water Supply Management and Protection Strategy is dated 2000. There has been significant development since then. While the report includes many significant relevant facts and recommendations, there are omissions and issues which are confusing such as the failure to consider importation of water, avoidance of the subject of wastewater treatment and disposal options, confusion of water supply with water delivery. The recommendations in the report have not yet been implemented.

Potable water sources and delivery have long been at the heart of Southold Town planning. It is past time for Southold Town to update, clarify and complete a comprehensive plan for potable water. So far, the proposed new comprehensive plan does not include any focus on this essential issue.

Here is another quote from The Southold Town Water Supply Management and Protection Strategy:

>> The planned expansion of water mains and the development of new wells will be a key determinate in the direction of future land development in the Town of Southold From a historical perspective development has concentrated in the Town in areas either serviced by public water or in sections of the Town where environmental conditions did not limit water availability via private wells Therefore the availability of public water mains is expected to increase the potential for growth in anumber of areas in Town where development is currently limited.

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On Tuesday, July 27, 2010 5:35am R U 4 Real said:

I am not the topic. The topic is water supply on the North Fork and the role of Southold Town. I believe government should play an important part in promoting and protecting the public interest. We need to plan for preservation, development and emergencies. The failure of Southold Town Board to consider the whole picture is highlighted by your failure to understand how water supply is related to the aquifers and sewage treatment / disposal. Considering each topic as a separate issue is destructive of the integrity of the natural and our built environment.

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On Monday, July 26, 2010 1:55pm SADD said:

you base your whole first comment on the "alert" of the SCWA and suggest the Town does not have a "plan". You now say that the SCWA is only another part of the problem. You seem to be moving your points around to fit a debate just for the sake of having a debate. The problem is that a debate requires a topic. Once the topic is established, the dialogue must adhere to it. This is like debating with a ovide rubber ball. One never knows where the ball is going next. Further, your last post quotes the Town's water supply protection strategy. Isn't this the very document and plan that you said the Town didn't have to start this odd discussion?

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On Sunday, July 25, 2010 11:01pm Benja said:

It appears unnamed is asleep at the switch.

SCWA is only another part of the problem. If Southold had a real plan SCWA could be part of the solution!

Here is a start on research of the whole issue.

For most of Long Island, obtaining enough water is generally not an issue (having adequate quality of the available water may be a problem). However, on the North and South Forks, and for the islands of the Peconic Estuary (specifically, Shelter Island), because the deeper aquifers are saline, having sufficient quantities of water can be problematic.
Valerie Scopaz, Southold Town planner

“Existing developed areas and expected infilling in coastal areas, where public water distribution is necessary [because of saltwater intrusion problems in wells], will consume available water supply.”
Southold Town Water Supply Management and Protection Strategy by Chick Voorhis, Nelson, Pope & Voorhis Environmental Consultant

Ground-water withdrawals from the Lloyd aquifer in Kings and Queens Counties have lowered water levels in those two counties and in much of Nassau County. A large cone of depression dominates the potentiometric surface of the Lloyd aquifer in the western part of Long Island; water levels are more than 20 feet below sea level in Brooklyn, Queens and western southern Nassau County.
U.S. Geological Survey http://capp.water.usgs.gov/gwa/ch_m/M-text3.html

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On Sunday, July 25, 2010 2:16am ( unnamed ) said:

The SCWA cautions against an "equipment failure". The overuse of water because of the heat strains a system not designed to meet that demand. That is why the SCWA issued the alert. No where did they say that they were going to run out of water. By the way, noboby is blaming the SCWA but, to say the "town has no plans when the water runs out" is alarmist and simple-minded. The stage one alert is about too much demand on a system at one time, not about the water running out. True the resourse of our water supply needs to be protected but that is and has been an issue for some time. It has nothing to do with the stage one alert.

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On Saturday, July 24, 2010 9:56pm Guess Who said:

To the one note wannabe who thinks it is all about Benja. Do some research. Our aquifer, or as you call it "the water in the ground" is limited in quantity, already quality impaired and threatened by present and future overuse and abuse. Blaming SCWA does not solve any of the problems.

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On Saturday, July 24, 2010 12:04am Tired of One Note Wannabes! said:

'Southold Town has no plan when the water runs out'? For Gods'sake, give it a rest, Benja. The water will not run out- the SCWA simply will not be able to provide it. The water is still in the ground readily accessible by thousands of wells distributed throughout Southold Town. The "convenience" of public water delivered to your home may not be there, but the water will.

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On Friday, July 23, 2010 11:06pm Guess Who said:

Today Friday July 23, 2010

www.scwa.com

warns

STAGE 1 WATER ALERT

Because of the record heat and lack of rain, the peak demand for water on the East End is continuing to rise. As such the Suffolk County Water Authority is initiating a Stage 1 Water Alert and is calling on East End customers to voluntarily reduce water usage IMMEDIATELY.

In an effort to avoid a more serious problem that would hinder the Authority's ability to provide water for fire protection and other essential services, we are asking all customers to only use water when needed.
Please refrain from lawn watering, car washing, or similar non-essential water usage until we get rain. A reduction of usage now will help protect the drinking water system from an equipment failure that could result in a complete shut down of your water supply.

Southold Town has no plan for the day when the water runs out.

The plans of SCWA are secret because they are designed to benefit SWCA regardless of the harm done to everyone else, including SCWA customers.

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