East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc has announced updated results of the private well survey in the Springs-Fireplace Road industrial corridor.
The update of the survey, which the Suffolk County Health Department describes as a precautionary inspection of some 515 private wells, came in a Feb. 7 conference call with county officials. Sampling of private wells is happening at a rate of 15 to 20 per week, they said.
The sample area spans land between Three Mile Harbor Road and Accabonac Road, bounded by Copeces Lane to the north and Floyd Street to the south. Two hundred-nine private wells have been sampled to date, the supervisor was told. Twenty-five of the 209 tested above the drinking water standard for nitrates. This could be a result of composting operations on industrial sites in the survey area, the use of fertilizers, leaching from septic systems, or of other human activities, Mr. Van Scoyoc said.
There were also nine detections of manganese above the standard. While manganese is a naturally occurring metal, the elevated levels could also be a result of composting, county officials said. Levels of iron above the drinking water standard were detected in 18 wells. Trace amounts of volatile organic compounds were detected in 88 wells. Methyl tert-butyl ether, or MTBE, a gasoline additive that has been known to contaminate groundwater, was detected in three wells. New York State banned MTBE in 2004. Toluene, a solvent mostly used in the manufacturing of organic chemicals, was detected in one well.
The Health Department is collecting a suite of samples for analysis. Its Office of Water Resources screens for approximately 300 contaminants, including coliform and E. coli bacteria, metals and inorganic compounds including iron, manganese, and thallium, and volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds including chlorinated solvents — chemical compounds containing chlorine that are used for a variety of commercial and industrial purposes — as well as pesticides, radionuclides, and 1,4-dioxane.
Two hundred fifty-eight homeowners have yet to respond to outreach from the county. “It’s very important that you have your water tested if you have a private well,” Mr. Van Scoyoc said.
Residents seeking testing of well water can contact the County Health Department’s bureau of drinking water at 631-852-5810.
