Water

Orient Water Resources Study Is Finally Here!

Orient Water Resources Study Is Finally Here!

In 2022 the Orient Association embarked on a comprehensive study of Orient’s water resources: fresh, salt and waste. It's finally complete! Our hope is that this report informs the community about how our water ecosystems work, presents hard data about those ecosystems, sets up the challenges and opportunities unique to Orient, and offers some options for the future. We invite you to join us on this deep dive into Orient’s waters!
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SCWA Southold Scoping Session Summary – June 12, 2025

SCWA Southold Scoping Session Summary – June 12, 2025

Suffolk County Water Authority presented a public scoping session about the proposed North Fork Pipeline project which would install a 24" pipeline from Flanders, though Riverhead and connect to SCWA's water system in Southold. A proposed second phase would run a 12" extension from East Marion across the causeway and primarily serve residents of Orient Village.
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Saltwater Intrusion Forum

Saltwater Intrusion Forum

The Orient Association hosted a Forum on saltwater intrusion on Sunday, October 27th at 2pm in Poquatuck Hall. The ongoing water study points to sea level rise and saltwater intrusion as a substantial threat to the Orient community. Speakers Frederick Stumm, Research Hydrologist, from the US Geological Survey and Greg Nissen from Mermaid Water Solutions will share their knowledge of recent changes in the saltwater levels in coastal areas and how to handle them.
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State Of The Bays 2024

State Of The Bays 2024

North Fork Civics presented “The State of the Bays & Water 2024” by Christopher Gobler, Ph.D., on Thursday, June 13, 2024
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Orient Water Project Recommendations Survey

Orient Water Project Recommendations Survey

The OA Water Committee recently met with consultants at CDM Smith to discuss present and future recommendations that the community should consider to sustain the health of our water resources.  While the consultant has analyzed historical data from private well testing performed by Suffolk County Department Health Services, we did not have much information about how folks in the community are coping with issues of contamination and reliability.  Here are the results of our October 2023 survey.
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Water Project Preliminary Report

Water Project Preliminary Report

The US Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed the first national drinking water standard for “forever chemicals” that are dangerous to human health. The move could radically affect drinking water for nearly everyone in the United States.
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Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan (LINAP)- Newsletter

Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan (LINAP)- Newsletter

Five tips for an Eco-friendly lawn Take the Nitrogen Pledge Grant Insights and Highlights Five Tips for an Eco-friendly Lawn It’s almost spring and lawn care is on the minds of many Long Islanders. Fertilizer is often thought of as a key ingredient to a healthy, vibrant lawn but fertilizer use, especially improper application, can be harmful to the environment. Excess nitrogen in fertilizer pollutes our waterways, negatively impacts aquatic life and interferes with fishing, swimming and boating. In fact, fertilizer is the second leading source of nitrogen contamination of Long Island waters; residential wastewater is the primary source. In this issue of the LINAP newsletter, we review several ways to care for your lawn while protecting coastal waters, as well as our drinking water...

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State of the Bays 2023

State of the Bays 2023

Every year Dr. Christopher Gobler, Endowed Chair of Coastal Ecology and Conservation and director of the New York State Center for Clean Water Technology, delivers his "State of the Bays" talk. This year, the topic is "Watershed of Destiny," and the the talk is a perfect fit for Earthstock, the week long celebration of Earth Day at Stony Brook University, On Long Island, our sole-source aquifer is our drinking water supply, and the primary source of freshwater, nitrogen, and other contaminants to coastal ecosystems. Recent trends in the quality of both groundwater and surface waters on Long Island have been worrisome. Emerging contaminants such as PFAS and 1,4-dioxane are entering drinking water supplies. Nitrogen levels in groundwater have risen by more than 60% in recent decades and...

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Join The Orient Water Project

Join The Orient Water Project

Orient sits atop a single, thin, freshwater aquifer and is surrounded by beautiful, productive bays and estuaries.  Unfortunately, both our groundwater and our surface waters have been degraded over the past half-century, and both face significant threats going forward.

Water is the lifeblood of this community, so the OA believes it is critical to understand and confront these threats.  We are therefore working on developing a comprehensive plan for remediating and protecting the hamlet’s ground and surface waters.  The plan will cover three areas:

  1. Situation assessment
  2. Prioritization of actions to be taken
  3. Activation (identification of funding and responsible party–Suffolk County Government, NYC DEC, EPA, etc.)
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PFAS Issues

Information Sessions about Expanded PFAS Water Survey

Information Sessions about Expanded PFAS Water Survey

In the Fall of 2022 the Suffolk County Department of Health Services (SCDHS) began a private well testing survey in Orient Village.  They had detected high concentrations of “forever chemicals” a group of perfluorochemical compounds collectively known as PFAS or PFCs in several wells.  The survey was expanded twice based on the results of each phase and the groundwater studies performed by SCDHS.  If your property is located within the survey area shown on this map, you can still request free testing for the first time.  In addition, if you had your water tested over a year ago you can request another free test.  For those outside the survey area, private well testing by SCDHS costs $100 and can now include PFAS testing by request.  Call (631) 852-5810 to schedule a well test.    On...

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Recent Happenings

Orient Water Resources Study Is Finally Here!

Orient Water Resources Study Is Finally Here!

In 2022 the Orient Association embarked on a comprehensive study of Orient’s water resources: fresh, salt and waste. It's finally complete! Our hope is that this report informs the community about how our water ecosystems work, presents hard data about those ecosystems, sets up the challenges and opportunities unique to Orient, and offers some options for the future. We invite you to join us on this deep dive into Orient’s waters!
read more
SCWA Southold Scoping Session Summary – June 12, 2025

SCWA Southold Scoping Session Summary – June 12, 2025

Suffolk County Water Authority presented a public scoping session about the proposed North Fork Pipeline project which would install a 24" pipeline from Flanders, though Riverhead and connect to SCWA's water system in Southold. A proposed second phase would run a 12" extension from East Marion across the causeway and primarily serve residents of Orient Village.
read more
Southold Zoning Update Presentation and Forum – May 24, 2025

Southold Zoning Update Presentation and Forum – May 24, 2025

Heather Lanza, Southold Town’s Planning Department Director presented an overview of Southold’s Zoning Update progress and coordinated breakout sessions for the audience to discuss and document their concerns about Southold's Zoning Update, with a focus on Orient’s interests and participation in the process.
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