SCWA Reroutes North Fork Pipeline, Blindsiding Local Leaders

The Suffolk County Water Authority announced a significantly altered alignment Friday for its long-contested North Fork water transmission line, redirecting the 7.5-mile project off Sound Avenue and onto a combination of state and county roadways — a decision that left leaders in Riverhead and Southold saying they were caught off guard.

The revised plan would route the pipeline chiefly along County Route 105 and Route 25 (Main Road) instead of the heavily traveled, two-lane Sound Avenue that Riverhead officials had repeatedly flagged as vulnerable to severe construction disruption. SCWA said the new alignment also eliminates a previously planned booster station near the intersection of Sound and Pier avenues in Riverhead, though the project still includes a new booster station in the vicinity of Main Road and Cross River Drive.

The updated route is approximately one mile shorter than the original 8.5-mile proposal, authority officials said, and the expected completion date moves up from 2030 to 2028. SCWA released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement alongside the announcement and set three public hearings for August; a public comment period is open through Sept. 11, 2026.

"We listened to the public during our 2025 scoping sessions and designed a plan that reflects their input," SCWA CEO Jeff Szabo said in a statement. SCWA Chairman Charlie Lefkowitz called the project "a requirement for the long-term sustainability of the North Fork," citing the thinner, shallower aquifer in Southold that is vulnerable to saltwater intrusion and rising demand.

Even so, Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski said Friday that his office had received no advance briefing on the revised route, adding that concerns about traffic, construction impacts and the source of the water supply remain unanswered. Riverhead officials have signaled that the town still plans to undertake its own Monroe Balancing Test to assess whether SCWA is exempt from local zoning and land-use requirements.

The pipeline project has drawn opposition for years, with Riverhead contending that it would absorb the heaviest burden of construction while the water delivered would serve primarily Southold customers.