Ground Broken On 'Historic' Sewer District For Mastic-Shirley

MASTIC, NY — Officials broke ground Thursday on the $224 million Forge River Watershed Sewer District Wastewater Treatment Plant planned in Mastic that has been designed to reduce nitrogen loading and improve water quality in the tri-hamlet area.

The plant, which will serve nearly 1,900 parcels in the Mastic-Shirley area after it’s completed in 2025, is part of the $408.8 million Suffolk County Resiliency Initiative announced last fall.

The initiative includes wastewater conveyance and treatment upgrades along with sewer system connections for more than 4,000 parcels in the Town of Babylon, with connections for an additional 1,900 parcels in Mastic-Shirley, where there are many aged septic systems.

Officials have raised the memory of Superstorm Sandy in 2012 when about half of the areas' wastewater systems were inundated with floodwater, saying the weather event serves as a reminder of the importance of completing the project.

The Forge River district's boundaries run from just west of the William Floyd Parkway, east to the Forge River, and just south of Sunrise Highway; on to the north of Poospatuck Creek, but does not include the Poospatuck Indian Reservation.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone referred to the Forge project as "historic," saying it will improve water quality in the Forge River and attract new investment to the Mastic community.

"The Forge River project will inject hundreds of millions of dollars into our economy, create hundreds of new jobs, and eliminate 1,889 cesspools and septic systems that are leaking excess nitrogen into the groundwater aquifer, and ultimately, into the Forge River," he said.

He credited U.S. Sen Chuck Schumer for making the project possible by ensuring it would not fall victim to funding increases caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as Hochul, who provided strong support for the project at the state level, and Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine, who made sure that the site would be available.

"This successful effort is the result of a true working partnership between the federal, state, and local governments, and we look forward to building on these efforts by expanding the new sewer system to include more of the Mastic-Shirley community," Bellone added.

Governor Kathy Hochul said, "Superstorm Sandy exposed the need to further protect the coastline communities on Long Island from the impact of climate change."

“Today’s groundbreaking marks a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to build resiliency," she said. "Everyone deserves easy access to safe water, and this project will help improve water quality for Suffolk County residents, reduce harmful pollutants, and further protect Long Island's delicate coastal ecosystem so that it can better withstand more intense storms in the future."

Romaine said the water quality of the Forge River has been "a point of concern for many years," and he was pleased "the problem will now be addressed and not just talked about."

The call for improved water quality increased after a massive fish kill along the Forge River in 2005.

U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin said, “As someone who grew up and still lives in this great, local community, I can personally attest to the fact that the Forge River Sewer Project is critical to our quality of life.

Assemb. Fred Thiele recalled how the residents of the Forge River Watershed have toiled with their elected officials for decades to improve the water quality and quality-of-life in their community.

"After years of advocacy and study, the solution to improved water quality is at hand," he said. "Today's groundbreaking marks a victory for the Forge River and for water quality in Suffolk County. This sewer project will not only improve the environment but will also be a catalyst for economic and community renewal across the Tri-Hamlet peninsula."

Suffolk Legis. Jim Mazzarella said the project will enable officials "to write a new positive environmental and economic chapter for our communities."

Officials said the project complements the state’s investments to reduce nitrogen pollution in the region’s waters through initiatives like the Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan, the Bay Park Conveyance Project, the replacement of aging septic and cesspool systems in Patchogue, as well as partnering with Suffolk to provide homeowner grants to help repair or replace their existing systems.

U.S Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said the project will "help mitigate decades of nitrogen pollution from old outdated septic tanks and prepare south shore residents for the next superstorm."

The project was also heralded by environmental advocates.

Adrienne Esposito, executive director for Citizens Campaign for the Environment, noted the river has been 'polluted and degraded for almost a century."

"High-density development using septic systems along the river started in the 1920s and resulted in the most polluted river on Long Island. Today, we begin an authentic restoration process."

Kevin McDonald, The Nature Conservancy’s Long Island policy advisor said the groundbreaking "begins one of the most important and ambitious environmental projects Long Island has seen in the last 40 years."