$7M OK'd to Bring Public Water to Manorville Homes with Polluted Wells

Congress is poised to provide $7 million in federal funding to connect the public drinking water system to 128 Manorville and Calverton homes with private wells believed to be polluted by subterranean toxins.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved March 10 funds to connect the homes with wells that have tested positive for possible carcinogens in excess of New York State standards, such as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

“Nothing could mean more to a community than clean, safe drinking water,” said Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment. “Turning on your tap should never invoke fear of getting sick. Now, with these federal funds, community members will be able to connect to the public water supply and be able to make coffee, cook and shower without fear that they are being exposed to dangerous toxic chemicals.”

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) said the funding, which was included in a $1.5 trillion federal spending bill, is expected to pass and be sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law by March 18 in order to prevent a government shutdown.

The Town of Riverhead’s water district will receive $3.5 million of the funding to connect 60 of the affected homes within its borders, and the Suffolk County Water Authority will get the other $3.5 million to hook up rest of the residences with polluted wells in the Town of Brookhaven’s portion of Manorville.

Suffolk Department of Health Services tests revealed in 2020 PFAS well above the state’s maximum contaminant level of 10 parts per trillion in wells near the former federally owned Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant, which closed in 1996. The use of industrial-strength firefighting foam during past training exercises at the plant have been known to introduce chemicals such as PFAS into the surrounding groundwater.

Exposure to PFAS can lead to adverse health outcomes in humans, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.