Riverhead works to maintain water pressure

In an effort to get ready for summer — and the drop in water pressure that takes place when lawn sprinklers all over town go on at the same time — the Riverhead Town Board has authorized bids to install 3,200 feet of 12-inch transmission main up County Route 105, linking the town’s high water district in the northern part of town with its low district in the south.

The difference in height between the two districts means storage tanks fill up more slowly to the north, resulting in less water pressure in that part of the system.

After a brief public hearing Tuesday, the board voted 4-0 to authorize the bids, even though plans and specifications are not completely finished.

They will be available for inspection starting April 17 in the town clerk’s office, and bids will be opened on April 26.

Town officials say the cost of the work should be covered by an existing water district reserve fund, and the project is expected to cost less than $1 million.