The Suffolk County Water Authority has significantly revised the route of its controversial North Fork water main project, abandoning its original plan to run the transmission line along Sound Avenue and instead proposing a shorter alignment along Main Road in Aquebogue.
The change, announced Friday with the release of the project’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), represents the most significant redesign since the authority unveiled the proposal last year. It also comes after months of criticism from Riverhead officials, residents and agricultural interests, who argued that construction along Sound Avenue would disrupt one of the North Fork’s busiest corridors while threatening farmland and tourism.
SCWA will hold three public hearings next month to present the revised proposal and accept comments. The hearings are scheduled for Aug. 19 in Westhampton Beach, Aug. 20 at the Southold Town Recreation Center in Peconic, and Aug. 26 at the Riverhead Public Library.
Written public comments will be accepted through Sept. 11.
Riverhead Supervisor Jerry Halpin did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the new plan, but on Friday afternoon Town Board member Ken Rothwell called the route change “a significant victory for our residents,” saying it protects the Sound Avenue Historic Corridor, which he described as “the backbone of our agricultural community and the gateway to the North Fork tourist economy.”
By shifting the project to Main Road, a state highway better equipped to handle heavy construction, Rothwell said SCWA eliminated the potential impacts on a roadway critical to local farms and tourism. While emphasizing that questions remain about whether the pipeline itself is necessary, Rothwell said the revised route reflects the authority’s willingness to respond to public concerns.
“I believe that SCWA’s altered route represents recognition of the concerns raised through public discourse and ultimately benefits all that would have been impacted by the original route.”
Riverhead Town Board member Bob Kern said moving the pipeline off Sound Avenue was a positive development, although he cautioned that construction along Main Road could still create significant disruption. He said he is taking a wait-and-see approach, particularly regarding the impact on Aquebogue businesses and how SCWA would navigate existing gas and water lines beneath the state highway.
Town Board member Joann Waski said in an email that she is “disappointed with the SCWA. By utilizing 105 and the Main Road, they have, in my view, intentionally cut the Town of Riverhead out of having a voice. I am disheartened that this disruption will plague residents of Riverhead. Very unfortunate that our town will have to endure this inconvenience.”
‘We listened’
The revised alignment is one mile shorter than the Sound Ave. proposal and, the third iteration of the proposed plan. A 2023 proposal would have seen the pipeline dug along Peconic Bay Blvd. When Riverhead officials objected, the project plan was moved to Sound Ave. and now to Main Road.
The route change marks a notable concession by the authority, which repeatedly defended the original Sound Avenue alignment during public scoping sessions last year.
“This project is a requirement for the long-term sustainability of the North Fork,” SCWA Chairman Charlie Lefkowitz said in a statement. “It protects our local water resources while ensuring we meet the current needs of our communities. This project is a win for the environment, it protects future ratepayers and ensures that we have a sustainable supply of high-quality drinking water for the North Fork.”
Chief Executive Officer Jeff Szabo said the redesign grew directly out of public feedback.
“We listened to the public during our 2025 scoping sessions and designed a plan that reflects their input,” Szabo said. “This new route allows us to execute the project swiftly while keeping community impacts to an absolute minimum.”
Controversial plan
The announcement is the latest development in a project that has become one of the East End’s most contentious infrastructure debates.
For months, Suffolk County Water Authority officials have argued the pipeline is essential to protecting the North Fork’s long-term drinking water supply. Riverhead officials, meanwhile, have questioned both the project’s route and the authority’s efforts to bypass local oversight, leading to an ongoing legal battle over whether SCWA must comply with the town’s zoning and land use regulations.
Friday’s announcement suggests at least some of the criticism influenced the final design.
The authority said the transmission line will now remain entirely on state and county roads. The original proposal would have carried the 24-inch water main east along Sound Avenue from Northville Turnpike to the Southold town line. The new proposed plan would see the pipeline dug along Main Road to an existing hookup near Aldrich Lane in Laurel.
SCWA currently operates 60 wells across 18 well fields serving about 9,500 customers on the North Fork. Most draw from the Upper Glacial Aquifer, a relatively thin freshwater source that officials say is increasingly vulnerable to contamination from pesticides, herbicides, PFAS chemicals and rising chloride levels associated with saltwater intrusion.
At the same time, more homeowners with contaminated private wells are seeking connections to the public water system, increasing demand. Water authority officials argue that continued heavy pumping from local wells increases the risk of saltwater infiltrating the aquifer, permanently reducing the region’s freshwater supply.
The authority again emphasized Friday that the transmission line will pass through the Riverhead Water District without making any customer connections there, a point that has remained central to Riverhead’s objections.
Construction is expected to take about 12 months once permits are secured.
“We will stage the work specifically to avoid traffic disruptions on the North Fork during the peak summer and fall months,” SCWA Director of Construction Maintenance Brendan Warner said.
With the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, the project now enters a formal public review process.
While the revised route eliminates one of the project’s biggest flashpoints, broader questions remain unresolved. Riverhead officials have continued to argue that the project raises larger issues about local control, infrastructure planning and the movement of water across municipal boundaries — disputes that remain the subject of ongoing litigation even as the environmental review moves forward.
