Clearing Up

Visiting with the Hampton Bays Civic Association last week, Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman was asked about the status of the public water system in the hamlet, and a discussion about whether its woes are enough to justify a takeover by the Suffolk County Water Authority. He toasted the question: “I’m drinking Hampton Bays water — I hope that’s a sign of confidence.”

It was a good line, and it’s a reasonable point: For the majority of customers, the water’s fine. But some say what comes out of their tap is murky, and that’s a good way to describe the future of the water district.

It’s an older system, and it’s beginning to serve up too-high levels of iron and manganese along with the water to some customers. The problematic well fields have gotten filters, and the most serious problems appear to be limited to a small number of Hampton Bays Water District taps. But what is the long-term outlook? And, on the other side, would a sale to the SCWA really be an improvement? Would bigger really be better?

The town has hired a consulting firm to look over the existing system and come up with an infrastructure plan, something Mr. Schneiderman said should be done “within the next two or three weeks.” Do not be surprised when the report comes back showing astronomical costs to maintain quality by making upgrades and catching up on maintenance — with the full price tag to be borne solely by Hampton Bays water customers.

It seems unlikely, at the very least, that the final numbers will demonstrate that a switch to the SCWA, with its about 1.2 million people and 3,300 water districts, will not be financially advantageous for customers of the smaller system. That seemed obvious on its face, but when Mr. Schneiderman made the pitch to Hampton Bays residents in 2018, the numbers weren’t convincing — the SCWA rate came in slightly higher, and that seemed to torpedo support of the takeover. So the new study likely will reset the “apples-to-apples” comparison, including the work that would need to be done on the existing system. (The SCWA planned $10 million in improvements as part of its proposal, with the cost spread out over 1.2 million customers in its system, compared to the 6,400 in Hampton Bays alone.)

A few days earlier, Hampton Bays Citizens Advisory Committee members met and were disgruntled about how long this discussion is taking, even as filters installed this year have helped clear up the discoloration to a degree. Similarly, when it comes to the future of the local water supply, the picture is about to get a lot clearer for Hampton Bays residents.