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Yellow markings depict the route of the new water main project in Westhampton Beach.
Yellow markings depict the route of the new water main project in Westhampton Beach. COURTESY SCWA
Westhampton Beach Mayor Maria Moore and Pipeline Inspector Steven Svendsen review plans of the underway water main replacement project in downtown Westhampton Beach. COURTESY SCWA
Every year, the Suffolk County Water Authority installs about 150,000 feet of water main, according to Brendan Warner, the authority’s director of construction maintenance.
This year, the Village of Westhampton Beach will be receiving 7,365 feet of main as SCWA replaces old and undersized water main on several streets in the village’s downtown business district. The goal is to boost the available water supply and improve water pressure and fire protection in the area, according to a release from SCWA.
Water main will either be replaced or added on White Oak Lane, South Road, Oneck Lane, Potunk Lane and Hansen Place, with tie-ins at six other streets. The new water main will be larger than the existing main and made of ductile iron pipe, which is far more resistant to water main breaks than the pipe being replaced.
Though the project is unconnected to the village’s under-construction sewer system project, bolstered fire protection and additional available supply will benefit the area immediately and even more once the sewer project is complete.
“Having more water is never bad,” said Westhampton Beach Fire Chief Mauro DiBenedetto.
Markings on the street to show where trucks can access water are a bonus. The chief also praised SCWA for daily dispatches that notify first responders as to where road work is underway to ease getting to emergencies over the quickest possible route, if need be. “That’s great,” he said.
“This project will provide a real boost to the downtown business district and local residents as well, as it will ensure an ample water supply even during peak demand times in the busy summer months,” said SCWA Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey W. Szabo.
“Upgrading infrastructure is a critical aspect of serving our community, and we appreciate SCWA making this important investment in our village,” Westhampton Beach Mayor Maria Moore said in the release announcing the project.
“This project started mid-June and we expect the major work (installation of water main) to be completed next week,” Mr. Warner said Friday, July 9. “We will then flush and chlorinate the new water main and begin tying over services lines to it. That process should be wrapped up in September, though it is not as disruptive as the water main installation.”
The thousands of feet of new main SCWA installs each year consists of water main extensions to serve new customers, replacements for aging/undersized water main and projects to improve reliability and operation of the distribution system.
