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 12 miles of pipe through Riverhead to Southold, where more water is needed, according to SCWA.
Part of the project involves installing a water main with directional drilling beneath the Peconic River and estuary near the Cross River Drive bridge between Flanders and Riverhead.
Riverhead Town officials approved a resolution to hire environmental consultant Jeffrey Seeman, who is advocating on behalf of the town to have it listed as an “involved agency” rather than an “interested” one in the SEQRA review process of the SCWA project.
SCWA officials held a scoping meeting with community members at Riverhead Free Library to hear their questions and concerns. They said the purpose of the scoping session was not for officials to respond, but to use the comments as directives to be included in the environmental impact statement.
A public hearing held Aug. 19 by Riverhead Town sought to conduct the Monroe Balancing Test, which determines whether or not, and to what extent, the SCWA’s proposed pipeline project may be exempt from local zoning and land use regulations.
The Town Board also disputed SCWA’s attempt to “circumvent” Riverhead’s authority to conduct its own Monroe Balancing Test by suggesting the agency’s test findings will be included in its draft environmental impact statement.
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 planning of the pipeline and a general distrust that the local impact of the project was considered.
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 December, SCWA pushed forward its controversial North Fork pipeline despite a standoff with Riverhead over whether the regional authority can bypass local zoning control.
