Private wells in two North Fork communities are undergoing testing for potentially hazardous “forever chemicals” as Suffolk County health officials investigate groundwater contamination in Orient and Cutchogue.

The Suffolk County Department of Health Services is testing for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), two chemicals belonging to a larger group known as PFAS, which have been widely used in commercial and industrial products since the 1940s.

PFAS have traditionally been used in nonstick cookware, stain-resistant carpets and fabrics, food packaging, firefighting foams, ski wax and other products, according to the American Cancer Society.

In Orient, nearly 800 homes are the focus of a new round of free well-water testing that began last week, according to Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine.

The expanded testing comes four years after contamination was discovered in private wells along Village Lane, ultimately affecting approximately 175 homes. Firefighting foam used by the Orient Fire Department was identified as the most likely source of the contamination, and the department agreed to pay for remediation.

Miriam Foster, president of the Orient Association, said the organization plans to remain neutral on the new testing initiative while making sure residents are informed about the opportunity.

But she acknowledged that some homeowners remain skeptical of the Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA), particularly as the agency pursues a proposed pipeline to expand public water service on the North Fork.

“When the Suffolk County Water Authority puts their name on a free offer like this, people who have issues with that organization might take their names out of it because they believe there’s no such thing as a free lunch,” Foster said. “I’m glad the county executive is taking an interest in this because it’s a huge issue.”

Foster said some residents believe SCWA has released inaccurate information about previous testing, although she expects many homeowners to welcome the opportunity, particularly those who have struggled with the quality of their private well water.

Foster, who owns several properties in Orient, said she has not decided whether to participate because she already has her well water tested regularly.

She also noted that the prospect of connecting to public water remains a complicated and sometimes contentious issue in the small hamlet.

“It is so complicated, and there have been forays before about hooking up, and they have failed,” she said.

Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski said the latest round of testing will be more extensive than previous efforts and should examine a broad range of contaminants.

“They should be testing for every chemical,” Krupski said. “It’s going to be hard not to find it because it was such a widely used chemical.”

The Orient Association is scheduled to host a Dec. 6 Zoom meeting with Jason Hime, principal public health engineer for the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, to discuss the free testing program.

Romaine acknowledged in an interview that some homeowners may decline testing out of concern that discovering contamination could reduce their property values.

But Krupski questioned whether there is evidence that contamination has affected real estate prices in Orient.

“Have we found that in Orient? You’d have to do a market study,” he said.

Krupski suggested another reason for reluctance: Some residents simply do not want to connect to another utility and begin paying for water they currently draw from private wells.

Barbara Friedman, co-chair of the Orient Association’s water committee and a 32-year resident of the hamlet, said some homeowners affected by the earlier contamination may still be receiving bottled water from the county. Their homes also have point-of-entry or point-of-use filtration systems.

“The cleanup that the Fire Department agreed to has still not started,” Friedman said. “They can’t clean the entire area. Water travels underground, and there’s still going to be some contamination.”

Friedman noted that filtration systems installed at affected properties are maintained by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, reducing the immediate incentive for some residents to connect to a public water system.

“So why would people want to hook up?” she asked. “Then you would have to maintain the filters yourself. Plus, public water is a long way away.”

Meanwhile, about 15 miles west, a separate investigation has been underway since July into possible contamination of private wells surrounding the closed landfill at Southold Town’s transfer station in Cutchogue.

The county initially identified 35 homes for free water testing. Romaine said the Department of Health Services, working with state Sen. Anthony Palumbo, distributed notices encouraging homeowners to participate.

The response has been limited.

According to the county, eight homeowners responded to the outreach, while 21 declined to participate. Four properties have been sampled, with results pending. One homeowner denied the county’s request for sampling, and another property was found to be vacant or unoccupied.

The investigation has also identified one home where contamination exceeded New York state’s limits for both PFOA and PFOS.

Nick Krupski, Southold Town’s solid waste coordinator, said the testing is an appropriate precaution, although he does not expect widespread contamination.

“It’s good for the health department to do their due diligence and test,” he said. “Whenever you have a closed landfill, you will always see something in the groundwater.”

Krupski said he believes any contamination is likely to be limited because the town properly capped and closed the former landfill in the 1990s.

“I would hope that it wouldn’t be a big problem,” he said.