SOURCE:
By Jean-Paul Salamanca - December 28, 2022
Manorville homeowners and environmental advocates say a new $2 million federal grant that will help connect hamlet owners who have contaminated well water to public water is welcome news — but only part of the solution.
The funding will come from the Environmental Protection Agency’s State and Tribal Assistance Grant, Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) announced last week.
The money will help pay for a $9.4 million water project the Town of Riverhead and the Suffolk County Water Authority have undertaken.
The project will provide public water to 64 Manorville homes located near the former Grumman naval weapons facility in Calverton — residences whose private wells the Suffolk County Department of Health Services in 2020 found were contaminated with perfluorinated compounds.
To date, $5.5 million in federal funding, including the new grant, has been secured for water improvement projects in the affected areas.
Manorville resident Kelly McClinchy, a 45-year-old schoolteacher who has been outspoken about the problem, told Newsday the grant funding was a “very pleasant surprise.”
“We’re thrilled about any funding that comes out this way. The residents are really happy to hear that we’re not forgotten and that they’re still pushing for us,” McClinchy added of congressional officials.
The Town of Riverhead applied for funding this year from the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation, a state agency that funds water infrastructure, but was denied.
A state Health spokeswoman said Wednesday the town's funding application was incomplete but the state is "committed" to helping find a solution and will "work with these applicants to help them successfully secure funding."
The situation for Manorville residents with contaminated wells remains dire, with residents having to buy bottled water to access safe drinking water.
Getting state funding to finish the water project is key, said McClinchy.
“At the state level, they know there’s a problem. They know that residents here are drinking contaminated water, they’re exposed to contaminants, they’re trying not to drink it. Most people are still drinking bottled water, but we’re still exposed to it, we’re bathing in it,” she added.
Adrienne Esposito from the nonprofit Citizens Campaign for the Environment said the town and the water authority should begin the water connection project quickly and criticized state officials for not doing more.
“This is a no-brainer," Esposito said.
Riverhead Supervisor Yvette Aguiar said the town will apply for funding through the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act and set up a January meeting with water authority officials to discuss starting the project “as soon as possible."
State Assemb. Jodi Giglio (R-Baiting Hollow) said she has set up a meeting with the state officials and funding could come from the $4.2 billion Environmental Bond Act that passed in November.
