Dear Supervisor Burke-Gonzalez,

We are in receipt of your letter dated August 12, 2026. The Suffolk County Water Authority has worked collaboratively with County Executive Ed Romaine, the Suffolk County Department of Health Services and the New York State Department of Health to respond to this situation. As you know, SCWA established a dedicated webpage containing information about the wellfield and our resulting actions. Additionally, SCWA staff and I have repeatedly requested that all questions the town receives from residents be directed to SCWA laboratory staff so that they can be answered as quickly and thoroughly as possible.

Let me be very clear, the public and regulators are aware of the detections of PFPrA solely because of the efforts of SCWA. Testing began in January 2026 because SCWA laboratory personnel developed an in-house testing method for a suite of five short-chain PFAS compounds, including PFPrA. Neither the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) nor the NYS Department of Health (DOH) had an approved testing method at that time.

When SCWA became aware of the presence of elevated levels of PFPrA in two of our wells, we notified our regulators as is required by law. We were also proactive in suing the polluters to hold them accountable for the damage caused by the fire at their facility. To be transparent with the public, we voluntarily created a webpage with maps of impacted areas and extensive well-testing data. It is thanks to the extraordinary and innovative work of our laboratory team that state, county and local governments are aware of the presence of PFPrA in groundwater. The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and NYS DOH have taken the lead in the investigation of this contamination and we will continue to work with them in any way that we can.

Regarding the circumstances under which an affected well could be brought back into service, the impacted well remaining in service operates strictly on a last-call, emergency-use basis. I directed our Production Control team to utilize this well only in the event of a fire emergency or a loss of system pressure. The only well that could be used, Well 3A, is equipped with a Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) treatment system.

Residents have asked if wells were contaminated in 2023 but left online until January 2026, and why SCWA decided to test these wells at that time. PFPrA is an unregulated contaminant, and no testing was conducted prior to January 2026 because no approved testing method existed. As discussed earlier, SCWA developed an in-house method for testing for PFPrA. SCWA tested its entire system, not solely the wells at Bridgehampton Road. Initial tests in January indicated PFPrA levels below the Unregulated Organic Contaminant (UOC) Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 50 PPB, which serves as a catchall MCL for unregulated compounds. The next tests in April and May showed levels exceeding 50 PPB, and SCWA took two wells offline immediately.

You also inquired about how residents will be notified regarding new detections, treatment changes, or well shutdowns. We have no plans to bring Wells 2B and 3A back into service. SCWA operates 600 public supply wells across our system. Wells are brought online or taken offline daily due to water quality tests, system maintenance, carbon filter replacements and other standard operational requirements. SCWA does not notify customers of these routine operational occurrences. We comply with all notification laws established by the EPA and NYS DOH, which align with standard industry practice. To address specific concerns regarding this event, SCWA launched a webpage providing maps and test results. SCWA customer service clerks direct customers with questions to this webpage.

Finally, regarding why residents are not being provided filters, SCWA removed the impacted wells from service immediately upon detecting levels above the standard. For any questions regarding filters, we refer you to the NYS DOH. Any residents who are on private wells that are concerned about impacts to their drinking water, I would encourage them to contact our new service department to discuss options for connecting to our high-quality public water supply.

We look forward to continued collaboration with your office as well as our state and county partners.

Any residents who are concerned about their drinking water and have questions about our actions related to this event should contact SCWA’s Water Quality Laboratory at (631) 218-1112 or visit www.scwa.com/easthamptonbattery to learn more.

Dear Customer,

I am writing to inform you of a recent action by the Suffolk County Water Authority to protect your drinking water.

In May of 2023, a fire impacted the East Hampton Energy Storage Center located just to the north of SCWA well field in East Hampton. SCWA continuously monitored our public water supply wells in the area, as we do with all wells in our system. Recently, our tests detected levels of a PFAS compound known as PFPrA in water which migrated from the fire. As a result of this event two wells were taken out of service. We also restricted the use of two additional wells as a precaution. Also in response, SCWA filed a lawsuit against the developers, operators, and equipment manufacturers associated with the East Hampton Energy Storage Center to hold them accountable.

By removing the affected wells from service, SCWA ensures the water currently flowing to your home meets all established drinking water standards. As we head into the summer season of high demand, we are managing our system capacity to maintain reliable service for all customers. We need all residents, especially those in East Hampton, to conserve water to maintain an adequate supply throughout our system. Please follow the odd/even lawn watering schedule and take practical steps to reduce your water use. You can learn more at: www.scwa.com/conservation

Mitigating the impacts from the fire requires significant resources. SCWA believes the responsible parties must pay for the damage they caused, rather than passing these costs onto our ratepayers. We will continue to protect your water supply and will provide updates as necessary.