The Forge River Watershed Sewer Project is in the final phase of design and engineering to connect residential and commercial parcels to a new low pressure sewer system. The project will include the installation of a grinder pump unit (GPU) with a control panel, interconnecting piping, and closure of existing on-site sewage disposal system on each residential property.
During construction, the contractor will need access to each property to connect the existing waste line to the new GPU and close the existing on-site sewage disposal systems. The contractor will be required to restore the property at the end of construction. Suffolk County is preparing an access agreement for the residential property owner’s review and signature that must be executed prior to construction.
The design team will be conducting work sessions in the near future to allow each residential property owner to review the proposed GPU layout on their property. These work sessions will give owners the opportunity to provide comments to the design team prior to construction.
Open house updates residents on sewer referendum
With the public referendum on the sewer project fast approaching, more than 100 residents attended two open houses to learn more about the January 22 vote. If the question passes, the Forge River Watershed Sewer District will be established; a sewer district must be created in order for the sewer project to continue. A highlight of the January 8 event at Mastic Fire House was the display of a typical six-foot grinder pump unit, which will be installed at residential and commercial properties.
Your Questions Answered (Actual questions posed by community members)
Why does our community need a sewer system?
A. Decades of nitrogen pollution from outdated, poorly functioning or broken septic systems and cesspools have contributed significantly to polluting the Forge River and groundwater in the Mastic-Shirley area. Read More...
We are postponing the work sessions originally planned for March 19-21, 2020, in consideration of the coronavirus (COVID-19). This action is precautionary only and intended to limit large group gatherings in our community and safeguard our residents. A new date for the information session will be announced in the near future.
If you have any questions, you can contact us through the contact us tab. For general questions, contact Legislator Rudy Sunderman's office anytime at 631-852-1300.
Suffolk County Legislator Rudy Sunderman (left) and county Department of Public Works Deputy Commissioner Eric Hofmeister speak with residents.
Hundreds of residents attend Public Information Sessions
More than 200 Mastic community members turned out to learn about the latest developments on the Forge River Watershed Sewer Project..........
•Decades of nitrogen pollution from septic systems,
cesspools, agricultural uses and runoff have degraded
surface and ground waters.
•Poor water quality hurts our coastal resiliency,
environment, economy, land values, tourism industry
and recreation.
•Long Island’s tidal wetlands play a critical role in
protecting against storm damage. Nitrogen pollution
is the leading cause of wetland, sea grass and
salt-marsh loss.
•Most of the nitrogen pollution in the Great South Bay comes from unsewered homes of which Suffolk has 360,000, more than the entire state of New Jersey.
•Constructing a sewer system in the Mastic-Shirley area
is a major step toward cleaning up our rivers, bays
and underground water.
• The first two phases of the Forge River Watershed
Sewer Project are expected to hook up many homes
and businesses and safely treat millions of gallons of
waste annually.
• The project is expected to reduce nitrogen by 70% in
the Forge River, the most severely polluted water way in
Suffolk County.
• Combined with sewer projects in three other priority areas, harmful nitrogen pollution
in the Great South Bay is projected to be reduced by 25%.
Community members come out for new information meetings
As the design process for the project continues, dozens of residents attended a series of follow up informational meetings on September 20. Questions about property owner costs and benefits of sewers were high on the list of topics raised by residents........
Suffolk County Coastal Resiliency Program
Suffolk County, in cooperation with the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery, the state Department of Environmental Conservation and state Environmental Facilities Corporation, has begun its first major investment in advanced wastewater treatment in decades. The projects propose to extend sewers to communities along the Great South Bay that have substandard septic systems, dense populations, a short depth to groundwater, and short travel times for nitrogen-enriched groundwater to enter rivers and bays. Extending sewers is a crucial factor in helping these communities continue recovering from the devastating impacts of Superstorm Sandy.
Learn more about how the county and state are working together:
Suffolk County Coastal Resiliency Projects
Suffolk Water Quality Initiative Program
Forge River Watershed Sewer Project