Getting Their Flow On: Officials Celebrate Opening New Water Main in Hampton Bays

“That’s a million-dollar hole,” Councilman Rick Martel quipped as a lid providing access to a new water main was lifted.

On Monday, May 22, Southampton Town officials gathered in the parking lot of Meschutt Beach County Park in Hampton Bays to commemorate the completion of the water main designed to service the eastern sections of the Hampton Bays Water District.

The district includes some 100 miles of water mains running from the eastern boundary of the water district, Peconic Road, to Jones Road to the west.

This is a promise coming true, district Superintendent James Kappers said.

People living in the eastern section of the district have been complaining about low water pressure for years, Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said.

Thanks to 60 percent state funding, the town was able to complete, using directional drilling, a main that runs under the Shinnecock Canal. It will provide a secondary feed to the areas east of the canal, aid in improving pressure during high-demand times, and increase water available in the event of a fire.

The town and water district were successful in securing $2.72 million in grant funding to offset the overall $4.6 million cost of the canal project and a second main. The savings will ultimately be passed along to water district customers, Kappers said.

The new water main is just one of an array of upgrades to the water district that have come to fruition or are on tap. The second main, replacing an older one, was run under Shinnecock Bay to Dune Road. Running under the bay from the Coast Guard Station to Dune Road, the project involved the installation of a water line that measures over 3,000 feet, through the use of a directional bore. The new water main will fortify the water supply on Dune Road and replace infrastructure that had experienced numerous breaks and interruptions over the past few years.

On the horizon is a new main to serve the Rampasture section of the hamlet.

With all the district’s wellfields located west of the canal, getting water through one small main to eastern sections was difficult, particularly given the higher elevations of property in Shinnecock Hills, Schneiderman said. Add that to property owners’ penchant for watering lawns at night, and customers often found there was nothing left for their morning showers.

With no giant scissors or ribbon to cut, Kappers and Schneiderman used a tall road valve key to officially turn the main on. Martel and Councilwoman Cyndi McNamara gave the key a turn, too.

Also on hand were representatives from the engineering firm H2M architects + engineers, Chris Weber and John Collins, plus Michael Iasilli, an aide to Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming and a candidate for Town Board.