Southampton Town OKs $1.2M on Westhampton Water Expansion

The Southampton Town Board will spend $1.2 million in Community Preservation Funds to help pay for a project to hook up 57 Westhampton homes to the Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA).

The board unanimously approved the measure Dec. 10 to fund the final piece needed to fully fund the $3.8 million project that will provide public water access to homes with private wells contaminated by carcinogenic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

“Addressing this serious health concern for the Westhampton community will give them the peace of mind that their water is safe to drink,” said Southampton Town Supervisor Maria Moore.

The project will involve installing 7,500 feet of new water main to connect homes on Old Country Road, Cedar Lane, Columbia Avenue, Montauk Highway, Sea Breeze Avenue, Sea Gate Avenue, Summit Boulevard and nearby streets to the SCWA system, officials said. Private service lines on those streets will be connected at no cost to homeowners due to the health risk.

The Suffolk County Department of Health Services discovered in 2017 that the affected homes had PFAS contamination exceeding the state’s maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 parts per trillion, prompting the need for the SCWA expansion. PFAS chemicals, widely used in firefighting foams and non-stick cookware, have been linked to liver damage and certain cancers.

Besides CPF allocation, $1.25 million in federal funding was previously awarded along with a New York State grant from the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act program.

“Thanks to this partnership, we’re able to provide high-quality drinking water to residents without any out-of-pocket costs for connection,” said SCWA Chairman Charles Lefkowitz.