March 5, 2026
SCWA released its Final Scope for the 12-mile North Fork pipeline, with Draft EIS due soon. The $35M project faces lawsuits and community opposition in Southold and Riverhead.
As winter storms batter Long Island's North Fork, the Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA) pushes forward its controversial 12-mile North Fork Water Main Project, releasing a 67-page Final Scope on November 18, 2025, despite fierce pushback from Southold and Riverhead residents.
The pipeline spans 11.94 miles from Flanders wells through Riverhead along county roads like Route 58 to Southold, disturbing 6.51 miles with trenching, directional drills, and a booster station. Phase 1 costs $35 million. SCWA updated on December 3, 2025, that the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) is now expected by mid to late January 2026, followed by public hearings. The Final Scope incorporates comments from three June 2025 sessions in Peconic and outreach to agencies and locals. SCWA serves 9,500 North Fork customers via 60 wells in 18 fields, aiming to shift water from strong supply areas to stressed Southold wells showing rising chloride from saltwater intrusion.
SCWA sued Riverhead in February 2026 after the town's October 2025 Monroe balancing test ruled the project subject to local zoning. SCWA claims exemption as a public authority for essential water work, citing case law, and calls Riverhead's stance flawed. Southold Town Councilman Greg Doroski urged a unified front with Riverhead, submitting a six-page questionnaire after Peconic residents voiced hundreds of concerns. Even Southold officials question SCWA's water crisis claims; plans date to 2003 per Riverhead Water District Superintendent Frank Mancini. SCWA insists the two-phase review avoids segmentation and protects the fragile aquifer without promoting growth.
Stay informed on North Fork development—explore more LI Daily updates on key projects affecting our communities, including Brookhaven's first land use plan update in 30 years, Riverhead School District's budget pressures, and Southold Town Beach's severe erosion after winter storms.
