Third Sewer Expansion Meeting Set for Next Week

The Suffolk County Department of Public Works (SCDPW) will host its third public meeting of project stakeholders to discuss and present the final report and recommendations for the county's Southwest Service Area Expansion Project.

The project, which has already been discussed at two public meetings this year, would help expand sewer services to areas such as West Islip, Deer Park, North Babylon, West Babylon, Wheatley Heights and Wyandanch, connecting them with areas like Lindenhurst and Babylon Village, which were connected to sewer lines more than 30 years ago.

The meeting, set for October 10th at 7 p.m. at the Babylon Town Hall Annex in North Babylon, will be the third public meeting of its kind held by the SCDPW this year. Local government representatives, including Legislators Wayne Horsley, Tom Barraga, Lou D’Amaro, DuWayne Gregory and Steve Stern are expected to attend the meeting.

The last meeting in July brought out nearly 200 residents, many of which voiced their concerns with the planned project.

Let Patch save you time. Get great local stories like this delivered right to your inbox or smartphone everyday with our free newsletter. Simple, fast sign-up here.

According to the last known projected numbers released by the SCDPW, the project could cost taxpayers more than $2 billion without any grants or outside funding. Even supplying the areas in most need of a sewer system, called "Tier 1" by officials, would account for nearly 53 percent of the overall estimated cost for the system expansion at an estimated $1.106 billion.

The noted areas in most need were North Babylon and Wyandanch, the costliest being an area bordering the two areas at an estimated $235 million.

"The availability of sanitary sewers has the potential to increase business investment, enhance workforce housing opportunities, improve water quality and provide greater environmental protection in these six communities," said Gilbert Anderson, Commissioner of SCDPW, in a statement.

Officials did note at the July meeting that the $2 billion estimate was just that – an estimate without any additional outside funding. Noted funding could come from sources such as USEPA Grant, a State Revolving Fund, Downtown Revitalization Grant, Transit Oriented Development Grant, Privatized Sewer District Formation, Housing Redevelopment Grants or Industrial Redevelopment Grants.

For more information from the Suffolk County Department of Public Works, visit the Southwest Suffolk Sewers website with detailed information, maps and more.