E. Farmingdale Water District now in Suffolk's hands

The Town of Babylon and the Suffolk County Water Authority have reached a tentative agreement to have the authority take over the East Farmingdale Water District.

The town will vote on the agreement following a public hearing Thursday at 10 a.m. at town hall in Lindenhurst.

The 40-year agreement allows the water authority to manage the district but the town board will continue to set the rates, town officials said. The water authority is responsible for all maintenance, remediation and improvements in the district's infrastructure. The town can terminate the agreement at any time, but would have to repay the authority for any capital improvements.

"There needs to be a reliable system in place to have enough water for emergencies," town chief of staff Ronald Kluesener said.

District wells often have to be taken out of service because of industrial contamination, officials said.

Although the water is currently safe and is closely monitored by the state and county health departments, town officials said, four of the district's five wells have had various levels of contamination. The town said addressing future contamination could be costly and beyond the scope of the district.

With the water authority, costs can be spread out instead of being borne by East Farmingdale residents, Kluesener said. The water district serves 7,500 people, town officials said. The authority said it serves 1.2 million people.

"The authority brings to the table the entire population of Suffolk County," Kluesener said. "We are at a point right now where it's beyond [the district's] capability to manage this."

Water authority general counsel Tim Hopkins said the agency has years of contamination expertise. "What we add to the equation is a lot of experience, skilled staff, a professional laboratory, all of which they would typically have to do by contract," he said. Hopkins said the authority plans to drill under the Southern State Parkway this fall to connect its system to the district and relieve the burden on existing wells.

The town will continue to collect $250,000 a year in rent from cell phone companies with antennas on the East Farmingdale water tower. The authority will also pay the district $3 million for land parcels. This money, along with a $1.2-million surplus, will allow for rate stabilization, Kluesener said, and rates will stay the same "for the foreseeable future."

Thomas Joseph Jr., president of the Residents of East Farmingdale Civic Association, said he approves of the agreement. He said the community had been worried about the town "going blindly" into a rigid 40-year contract and remains concerned about rate increases. "I hope the rates stay the same," he said. "This is as close to the best deal we're going to see with them."