Flushing Hampton Bays Water Mains

Spring flushing of Hampton Bays’ water mains will continue through April 29.

Southampton Town began the work April 15 to clear the pipes before an increase in usage. To minimize inconvenience, the work is being done between 11 PM and 7 AM Monday through Friday. The town has advised all customers to check their water before doing any washing. If the water is discolored, let it run for several minutes. If it doesn’t run clean, wait awhile before trying again.

The flushing comes after the board unanimously voted to hire a consultant to assess the Hampton Bays Water District’s infrastructure needs and recommend a 10-year capital plan to
modernize the system.

The town board, whose members act as commissioners to the water district, has been debating since the start of winter whether to allow the Suffolk County Water Authority to take over management of the district. The discussion began after dozens of residents complained last August about discolored water and low water pressure. The board held two public hearings in February at Hampton Bays High School to discuss the merger and garner community feedback. Most of the public in attendance stressed their strong desire of maintaining local control, and holding a public vote on the matter.

D&B Engineers and Architects was hired by the town for $47,000 to compose a plan to address complaints as well as examine the condition of the district’s water storage tanks and distribution system. The plan will also include the cost of installing a new iron and manganese filtration system at the district’s fourth well field — located along Bellows Pond Road near Sears Bellows County Park.

Under the Suffolk County Water Authority’s proposal, improvements would cost approximately $14 million over a 10-year period, the cost of which would be spread across the nonprofit’s 1.2 million customers, according to CEO Jeff Szabo.

Because the consultant’s assessment could take several months to complete, Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said any public vote there would be on the decision would be pushed beyond 2019.

In the meantime, if the public wishes for any additional information or has questions or concerns about the flushing, the town can be contacted at 631-728-0179 weekdays from 8 AM to 3:30 PM.

desiree@indyeastend.com