West Neck Water District contract would upgrade system, raise rates by about 50%

The Suffolk County Water Authority chairman has signed a long-term contract to service one of Shelter Island’s few public water districts under an agreement that could raise rates there by about 50% but pledges $1.7 million in upgrades for the system.

The Shelter Island Town Board on May 31 approved a contract with the water authority to manage the West Neck Water District, which serves about 200 residents, for the next 40 years. In addition to managing the district’s public wells, the water authority has committed funding for upgrades including installing another well, new meters and other improvements, the authority said in a news release.

The system began informally about 50 years ago when a local plumber began charging his neighbors, who were having difficulty accessing fresh water due to clay, to tap into his well, according to Town Supervisor Gerry Siller. The plumber turned over control of the system to the town in about 1996 and it has operated as the West Neck Water District — with just one employee responsible for maintenance, testing and repairs — ever since.

The town began talks with the water authority in 2019 after that employee retired and it became clear the system would need nearly $2 million in repairs, town officials said. The authority offered the most cost-effective option, Siller said.

“Rates were going to go up whether Suffolk County water came in or we did the work ourselves,” Siller said Monday. “Suffolk County water came in probably $300,000 less than what we estimated it would cost for the town to do it.”

“It's kind of common sense to bring in the professionals,” he added.

Town officials said the average user will see their bill increase 54% in the first year. Metered usage rates for some will double from $5.50 per 1,000 gallons to $11.11 per 1,000 gallons and users will also be subject to the water authority’s annual $80 surcharge. But those increases will be offset by the annual rate of $325 per residential user staying flat.

The town will apply for state grants and other funding to offset the cost, Siller said.

Suffolk County Water Authority chairman Patrick Halpin said the water authority can more cost-effectively perform the upgrades because it has a high credit rating and can do much of the design and construction work in-house.

“We're not-for-profit, so the mission is really simple,” Halpin said. “Provide water for the people of Suffolk County, period.”

The agreement contains a clause prohibiting the water authority from transporting water from a Shelter Island well outside the town. Some residents had expressed fear that the water authority would remove water from Shelter Island where the resource is already limited due to saltwater intrusion, nitrate contamination and other issues, to use in other places.

Shelter Island Town Engineer Joe Finora, who advocated for the deal, said those concerns were overstated.

“The practicality of doing that [taking Shelter Island water] makes no sense from an environmental end or financial end,” Finora said.

By Vera Chinese

vera.chinese@newsday.com@VeraChinese

Vera Chinese covers Suffolk County government and politics. She joined Newsday in 2017 after working as an editor for the East End lifestyle publication northforker and a general assignment reporter for the New York Daily News.