Riverhead gets $2.25M to bring public water to PFAS-affected Calverton homes

Riverhead secured another $2.25 million in federal funding to extend public water to roughly 28 Calverton homes with private wells contaminated by “forever chemicals” known as PFAS.

Rep. Nick LaLota presented members of the Riverhead Town Board with a ceremonial check Thursday for the previously approved funding, which will cover part of the estimated $5.6 million Extension 95 water main project.

The project is located in the southwest portion of Riverhead Town along various roadways in Calverton, north of the Peconic River, east of Connecticut Avenue and west of Edwards Avenue. 

The project would connect roughly 28 single-family homes along River Road, Railroad Avenue, Private Road and Canoe Lake Drive that are currently served by private wells contaminated by PFAS, including PFOA, associated with groundwater pollution from the former Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant at Calverton, now known as EPCAL.

Rep. LaLota first announced this appropriation to install public water in Riverhead and Calverton as part of a broader $11.84 million package for 10 Suffolk County communities approved in January. 

The Republican congressman called the feat a “team effort,” and thanked many elected officials present for their contributions and support, including Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio, Riverhead Town Supervisor Jerry Halpin and Town Board members Kenneth Rothwell, Bob Kern, Denise Merrifield and Joann Waski. 

“Every Long Island family should have access to good, clean drinking water, and the elected officials beside and behind me are here today to help affirm that promise that government should keep,” Congressman LaLota said at a press conference on Thursday.

Mr. Romaine discussed Riverhead and Calverton neighborhoods in urgent need of clean water. He also said the county is working with the Suffolk County Water Authority to install public water mains throughout Peconic Lake Estates using county-secured American Rescue Plan Act funding.

He stressed that the homes around Riverhead Road, just south of the Grumman plume, are particularly important. 

“I will continue to fight for clean water,” the county executive said. “I particularly want to thank our congressman for his efforts advocating for Suffolk County and its residents.” 

Ms. Giglio also thanked the government officials involved for their “investment” in providing vital clean water.

“$2.25 million will go a long way,” the assemblywoman said. “These people on River Road have been forgotten, they’ve kind of been pushed off to the side while other people got connected, and to finally get this funding to connect them and to get connected sooner than later — I look forward to drinking that first cup of water out of their tap.” 

Riverhead Town Supervisor Jerry Halpin echoed Ms. Giglio’s remarks and thanked the congressman for his commitment to “reinvesting” in the Riverhead community.

“When moms and dads get up everyday, they go to work, they come home at the end of the week and they look at their paycheck, they know that taxes are taken out,” Mr. Halpin said. “Each and every family is happy to pay those taxes when it provides infrastructure, that’s what the town board and myself, the Assemblywoman, the county executive fight for each and every day…this gets us closer to the next step — I look forward to breaking ground after the next round of funding comes in next year.”

Councilman Rothwell credited Rep. LaLota with securing funding for other public water main projects in previous years, such as $1.2 million for the Extension 97 project on Forge Road and $3.8 million for Extension 94 in Manorville in 2023.

In 2024, Riverhead Town received a $5 million Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – Emerging Contaminant grant, which was divided between Riverhead Water District extensions 95 and 96. 

Extension 96 is located in the central portion of town along various roadways in Calverton, including Middle Road, Deep Hole Road, Twomey Avenue and Middle Country Road and includes about 45 single-family homes and six industrial properties. 

Frank Mancini, superintendent of the Riverhead Water District, said the federal funds will help close the remaining funding gap for the project on River Road. The town can also begin the remaining engineering and Town Board procedural steps.

Town officials have assembled funding from several sources over the last five years, making it difficult to establish an exact construction timeline. Mr. Mancini said the new federal money closes crucial funding gaps and gives him confidence the town can move the River Road extension toward construction soon.

The water district superintendent praised Riverhead Town officials for their continued support and help identifying key funding sources. Mr. Mancini also emphasized that the Navy did not contribute money to any water district project.

“The current and past [Riverhead Town] board, they started this mission over five years ago, they not only funded the engineering plans that analyze these projects, and we use to obtain these grants, but they’ve constantly supported my coworkers and myself in our efforts to look for funding anywhere we can and accumulate this funding piece by piece, so that one day these projects happen,” Mr. Mancini said. “We’re putting all those pieces together now, and we expect to get this done soon.” 

As for ongoing efforts to speed up the Navy’s cleanup at EPCAL, Rep. LaLota said he is seeking an additional $3 million in the fiscal 2027 defense spending bill to aid the cleanup.

Mr. Kern said Riverhead Town is currently working with the Navy to establish a staging site for a remediation pilot system.

“The county executive [and] the congressman have been with Riverhead, with their resources, and bringing all their resources to accelerate the cleanup of EPCAL to that end,” Mr. Kern said. “We have made strides that haven’t been made in 30 years.” 

Following the press conference, Rep. LaLota told the Riverhead News-Review that he is “optimistic” the Navy will consider Suffolk County Health Department data in its cleanup approach, particularly if Congress approves the additional $3 million.

“The Navy would tell you that 97% of the area have been cleaned, and they would brag about how it has spent more than $80 million over the years in an attempt to remediate — at the same time, the Navy would tell you that there’s more work that needs to be done,” Mr. LaLota said. “More nudging, more accountability, more persuasiveness from Congress will only help put this on a better and quicker trajectory.”