Suffolk County Water Authority Seeks Southampton Easements for Two-Million-Gallon Storage Tank

Town Board · Meeting of July 16, 2026

SOUTHAMPTON — Suffolk County Water Authority warns Southampton of unsustainable North Fork water supply and seeks town easements for new storage tank. CEO Jeff Sabo and Deputy CEO Joseph Portnoy told the Southampton Town Board at its July 16 work session that the North Fork's thin aquifer, saltwater intrusion, and rising demand from private well conversions have created a crisis requiring an additional 6,000 gallons per minute of supply to reach 2050. The authority's proposed solution is a pipeline drawing from the South Shore Low Zone, averaging 1,000 gallons per minute at full operation, with a draft environmental impact statement from consultants CDM Smith and Nelson and Pope expected for public release within weeks.

The authority separately asked the town for easements to build a two-million-gallon ground storage tank with iron-removal filtration near North McGee Street and Sabonic Road in Southampton Village, a project Portnoy said would support the surrounding area and any future demand from a hospital relocating to the nearby Stony Brook Southampton campus. Board members pressed Sabo on whether South Shore residents face diminished water availability: "I don't anticipate that, to be very honest with you," Sabo said, while acknowledging the DEIS will settle the question. The board also heard that an East Hampton well field linked to a battery storage facility fire has been largely offline since June 26, stressing regional water supply during peak summer months.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 3,277 words

Source: the Town Board meeting of July 16, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.