Sewage in Peconic River from broken pipe at construction site prompts water quality worries

A broken sewer pipe at an East Main Street construction site in Riverhead sent roughly 10,000 gallons of sewage into the Peconic River and prompted Suffolk health officials to caution residents not to enter portions of the waterway.

Contractors working on encasing a main sewer line at the site noticed a break in the line around 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Riverhead Sewer District Superintendent Tim Allen told town board members during a meeting Thursday morning. A 165-unit Heatherwood apartment complex is under construction at the site.

The Suffolk County Department of Health issued a recreational advisory on Wednesday, urging people this week to avoid tidal waters east of Grangebel Park, officials said. Testing is underway in the Peconic River as government and environmental groups begin assessing the impacts of the spill.

Allen said the leak was repaired about 45 minutes later and effluent from the pipe may have been pumped into a dewatering system. “I went up and looked in the dewatering box, and didn't see anything,” Allen said at Thursday’s meeting. “It was still nice, clean groundwater going out into the river. No smell, no odor.”

Crews were constructing a new sewer when an “unknown lateral pulled away from the existing 12-inch diameter gravity sewer in the pipe trench,” according to a preliminary report by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. “Wastewater that flowed into the trench was commingled with the groundwater being discharged into the Peconic River through a diffuser pipe,” the report continued.

Peter Topping, the executive director of the environmental nonprofit Peconic Baykeeper, said in an interview Thursday that effluent flowing through that dewatering system could offset some harm but that “any discharge of raw sewage is a serious issue.”

Topping said the winter timing of the leak poses less of a risk compared to summer months when more people recreate on the river. He said the spill underscores the need for continued investments in wastewater treatment upgrades.

“I think of [Riverhead] as the heart of the Peconic Estuary, so you’ve got to keep the heart beating and healthy to preserve everything else,” he said on Thursday.

Other environmental groups, including the Peconic Estuary Partnership, plan to closely monitor water quality in the coming weeks.

Joyce Novak, executive director at PEP, said it’s too early to discern what the impacts are. She said a nutrient load from the level of sewage could fuel an “enormous amount of algae growth,” stunting plant growth and harming aquatic wildlife.

“Our job is to get the best science we can and make the best management decisions we can,” she said Thursday.

People who do come in contact with the water should immediately wash themselves with clean water and seek medical care if they begin to feel nauseous, have breathing difficulties or experience other health symptoms, officials said.

Heatherwood officials declined to comment on Thursday. Allen said the sewer department hired a contractor for the work at the property owner's expense.

The county health department and state Department of Environmental Conservation took samples and results are expected in three to four days, according to Riverhead Town officials.