Outside management of West Neck Water applauded at Town Hall meeting

The updated 40-year draft contract for the Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA) to manage the West Neck Water system (WNW) is not quite ready for prime time, but could be made public within two weeks.

Town Attorney Stephen Kiely is reviewing the draft and working out some last-minute changes with SCWA officials, said West Neck Water District Board of Directors member Lisa Shaw at an April 1 information session at Town Hall.

The SCWA is not a county organization, but an independent public-benefit corporation operating under the authority of the Public Authorities Law of the State of New York.

Under discussion at the meeting are plans for infrastructure improvements and anticipated costs for users that are likely to kick in, not in the next bill to be sent out this month, but the bill customers will get in July, Ms. Shaw said. But the quarterly bills to be sent this month will contain inserts showing customers what to expect when summer bills go out, Ms. Shaw said.

SCWA official Joe Pokorny outlined the infrastructure changes to be carried out, with the customers responsible for paying up to $1.7 million of costs over a 25-year period. Deputy Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams has developed scenarios for meeting those costs. She explained changes and how they were made along with efforts to secure grants to offset some of what customers would have to pay.

With a single exception of one questioner, who clearly objected to the transition to management by the SCWA, the response to the information provided by Mr. Pokorny was positive.

The infrastructure projects are needed to bring the West Neck Water system up to par with other SCWA customers, he said. They include:

• Replacement of meters that can be placed in vaults in front of each property for rapid reading; current meters are often in basements or under decks in places where they are not easily read.

• Replacement of 1.5-inch pipes with 4-inch pipes leading to each house to provide improved water flow where there have been pressure drops during peak periods of water use.

• Installation of a new well on property at Goat Hill to provide backup and more reliable service.

• Electrical improvements to ensure an end to exposure to flooding.

There was a question about how the infrastructure costs outlined prior to the involvement of the SCWA had been estimated at $1.4 million, but had now grown to $1.7 million. Mr. Pokorny said he wasn’t familiar with the previous plans and didn’t know if they were comparing similar work. He speculated the scope of the work might not be the same.

As for when the work on upgrades would happen, Mr. Pokorny said it would depend on delivery of materials, which has been slow.

WNW Board of Directors member Robert Lipsyte asked if there would be other charges once SCWA took over responsibility for infrastructure needs. Mr. Pokorny explained that while that’s essentially the case, customers have been hit with an $80 annual fee to pay for treatment of previously unidentified contaminants. Once identified, those contaminants required filtration. The identified contaminants resulted from flakes of Teflon, some fire fighting foam, and other previously unidentified household products that have affected water quality, Mr. Pokorny said. He couldn’t say how long that surcharge might continue or whether there might be a need for other surcharges in the future.

Supervisor Gerry Siller said $80 per year doesn’t begin to cover actual filtration costs. But general infrastructure needs are met by spreading the burden among all SCWA customers and are built into the management fee, he said.

He also noted the SCWA maintains a “Water Wise” program that will provide discounts for those who apply for incentives such as use of low flush toilets or shower heads that regulate amounts of water used.

Ms. Brach-Williams presented an outline of anticipated costs once the contract fees become viable. Access fees are anticipated to remain the same with residential users paying $325 a year. Commercial users who use less than 35,000 gallons of water would continue to pay $650 per year; those using 35,000 to 100,000 gallons would continue to pay $1,000; and those who use more than 100,000 gallons of water would continue to pay $2,500.

It’s the rates for metered usage that would increase to include money toward paying off the debt incurred from the infrastructure costs.

The town is applying $25,000 this year in money in the WNW account toward paying down the infrastructure charges, Ms. Brach-Williams said. Town grants consultant Jennifer Mesiano Higham is also working to determine if there are sources of funds to offset the infrastructure costs. That could shorten the 25-year payoff period for that $1.7 million investment built into current fees paid to the SCWA.