Oakdale homeowners OK $44M sewer project, paving way to connect to Bergen Point treatment plant
Posillico construction crews work on the tunneling deep beneath the Great South Bay to put in new outfall pipes from the Bergen Point Wastewater Treatment Plant in West Babylon in 2019. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
A $44 million sewer extension project received overwhelming support Monday from voters of an Oakdale community along the Connetquot River.
The Oakdale Sewer Expansion Project will allow about 420 homes to connect to Suffolk County’s Bergen Point Wastewater Treatment Plant in West Babylon, eliminating outdated cesspools currently in use, officials said. The approval allows a second phase to potentially move forward, which would connect an additional 565 parcels.
The referendum received 88% approval with 326 votes in favor and 44 against it, according to unofficial results from the Suffolk County Board of Elections.
Legis. Anthony Piccirillo (R-Holtsville), whose district includes the Oakdale community, said construction could begin as early as spring. He said a connection pipe under the Connetquot River would likely be the first step. At individual homes, the work involves installing low pressure sewer mains and other equipment to connect to the new system, which will then connect to an existing sewer stub near Heckscher State Parkway.
All of the residents would be connected by 2029, according to county estimates, at which point they would be charged $702 to be connected to the system.
Piccirillo said residents of the community have dealt with cesspool pumping problems and "see the deterioration of the river in front of their eyes."
County Executive Edward P. Romaine, a Republican, said in a statement the residents "voted to secure their environmental future."
"Sewers serve a critical function in protecting our drinking water, bays and estuaries," he said. "I have no doubt that the success of this vote will benefit generations to come."
Piccirillo said there could be another referendum to advance the second phase portion, which is estimated to cost $53.7 million, according to a recently adopted Subwatersheds Wastewater Implementation Plan.
In 2019, a similar referendum in nearby Great River that would have connected 474 parcels was rejected by voters.
The project is part of the county’s ongoing effort to replace outdated cesspools that allow nitrogen pollution in groundwater and surface water, environmentalists say. In January, the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved a $39.58 million hazard mitigation grant to defray most of the cost of the Phase 1A portion.
“All of us who love the Connetquot River and the Great South Bay are most thankful that Suffolk County and our Oakdale neighbors have stood up for this long overdue project," said Richard Remmer, an owner of The Snapper Inn on Shore Road in Oakdale.
Joe Werkmeister joined Newsday in 2022 and covers Suffolk County government and politics. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.
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