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Tag: Suffolk County Department of Health Services

  • East Hampton Updates Residents on PFAS Investigation, Says Public Water Meets Standards

    East Hampton Updates Residents on PFAS Investigation, Says Public Water Meets Standards

    EAST HAMPTON, NY — East Hampton Town has issued an updated drinking-water advisory as state and county agencies continue investigating PFAS contamination near the Suffolk County Water Authority’s Buckskill Road wellfield.

    The Town’s latest update, revised September 21, says PFPrA, an ultra-short-chain PFAS compound, was detected in four SCWA public-water wells earlier this year. Three of those wells were removed from service, while the fourth is restricted to emergency use only. The Town says the water currently being delivered to SCWA customers continues to meet public drinking-water standards. 

    According to the Town, the affected wells had supplied roughly 7% of the water provided to customers in the area. SCWA is now supplying customers from other unaffected public-water wells. 

    The ongoing investigation has increasingly focused on the 2023 fire at the East Hampton Energy Storage Center. In a September community update, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said its preliminary analysis points to the facility’s use of Novec 1230 fire-suppression material in combination with water during the fire response as the likely source of the PFPrA contamination. DEC said the evidence does not currently point to the battery materials themselves as the source. 

    DEC has detected PFPrA at concentrations as high as 10,000 parts per billion in groundwater and 600 parts per billion in soil at the battery-storage property, according to the Town’s summary of the state investigation. 

    Suffolk County Department of Health Services is also testing private wells in the surrounding area. The Town says testing conducted so far has not found contamination above New York State drinking-water standards or the state health department’s 3-parts-per-billion PFPrA screening level in the private wells sampled. 

    The investigation is not limited to PFPrA. County groundwater testing also detected PFOS and other PFAS compounds, and state and county agencies are continuing to investigate those sources. No source for the PFOS detections has yet been identified. 

    East Hampton Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez has called for continued coordination among the Town, NYSDEC, state health officials, Suffolk County and SCWA. The Town has also demanded that the battery-storage operator remove remaining Novec 1230 material from its East Hampton and Montauk facilities. 

    Residents with private wells who believe they may be within the affected area can contact the Suffolk County Bureau of Drinking Water at 631-852-5810. SCWA customers with water-quality questions can call 631-698-9500. 

  • Tri-Hamlet Community Health Alliance Launches With Senior Farmers Market in Mastic Beach

    Tri-Hamlet Community Health Alliance Launches With Senior Farmers Market in Mastic Beach

    MASTIC BEACH, NY — A new community health organization serving the Mastic, Moriches and Shirley area is launching with a focus on connecting residents to critical resources and reducing barriers to healthier lives.

    The Tri-Hamlet Community Health Alliance, or CHA, will make its public debut at a free farmers market and information fair for senior citizens on September 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the St. Jude’s Catholic Church parking lot, 89 Overlook Drive in Mastic Beach.

    The event is being hosted by the Town of Brookhaven and Long Island Cares and will offer fresh produce along with information about health and community services available to Town of Brookhaven senior residents.

    For CHA Chairman William Doyle, the farmers market provides a natural setting to introduce the new organization and its mission.

    “This farmers market is a vital opportunity for organizations to come together to offer resources for seniors in need. This event, hosted by the Town of Brookhaven and Long Island Cares, is an ideal initiative to launch the Tri-Hamlet Community Health Alliance. The new organization is partnership of the William Floyd School District, the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library and the Suffolk County Department of Health Services that seeks to enhance the health of those in our area.”

    The Tri-Hamlet Community Health Alliance is a collaborative partnership involving the William Floyd School District, Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library and Suffolk County Department of Health Services. Its broader network is intended to bring schools, government agencies, nonprofits, health and human services providers and community members together around local health needs.

    Doyle said the organization is designed to help residents navigate the resources already available throughout the community.

    “The Tri-Hamlet Community Health Alliance is a new, collaborative partnership aimed at identifying the needs of residents and connecting them with resources to improve and enhance the health of those in the community. Members of the organization aim to achieve these efforts through education, outreach, collaboration and volunteerism. The goal of the Tri-Hamlet Community Health Alliance is to bridge the gap between those in need and available support, fostering a healthier community.”

    CHA plans to serve residents of all ages while focusing on areas where access to support can be difficult. Among the issues the Alliance expects to address are food access, substance use disorders and housing, while also identifying gaps in existing services and looking for ways to strengthen what is already available locally.

    The organization describes its guiding objectives as the “Three C’s” — Communication, Collaboration and Cooperation.

    At the September 30 event, CHA will participate alongside the Town of Brookhaven Senior Department, Suffolk County Department of Health Services and Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library.

    For more information about the farmers market, residents can contact Harrison Smith at Long Island Cares at 631-582-FOOD (3663), ext. 120, or Hsmith@licares.org.