Officials gathered in Center Moriches to address growing concerns about water shortages in Suffolk County last week.
Representatives from Brookhaven Town and the Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA) spoke about the drought’s effect on firefighting and other emergencies. They urged residents to voluntarily undertake water usage/conservation measures to prevent an emergency in the Town of Brookhaven.
Recently, the SCWA also declared a Stage 1 Water Emergency Alert in the Towns of Southampton, Southold, East Hampton, and Shelter Island to ensure that there was sufficient water for firefighting and other emergency purposes.
As posted on the SCWA website, residents of those towns must stop all irrigation between the hours of 12am and 7am; refrain from all non-essential water usage, reduce shower times and embrace other water-saving measures indoors. Although the SCWA Stage 1 Water Emergency Alert has not yet been extended to the Town of Brookhaven, it could be imminent due to the sparsity of rainfall in the region.
“Brookhaven Town is experiencing a severe drought that most of the country is going through and there’s no relief in sight,” said Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine.
He urged residents to follow the Stage 1 Water Emergency Alert guidelines of the Suffolk County Water Authority and make water conservation a number one priority.
“This drought is a national emergency and if we all cooperate, we can save lives and property in case of fires,” he said.
SCWA CEO Jeff Szabo urged residents of Brookhaven to embrace water conservation in the long-term to ensure the sustainability of the sole-source aquifer that provides drinking water and in the short-term to make sure there is an ample supply of water every day for firefighting and other emergency purposes.
Town of Brookhaven Chief Fire Marshal Christopher Mehrman reiterated the need to conserve water in case of emergencies.
“Unfortunately, during times of such dry conditions, we see an increase in the number of brush and wildland fires,” he said. “Although our local fire departments are very well prepared to respond to such fires, it is important for those who live and work in the wildland urban interface areas to be alert and prepared to take direction from local law enforcement and fire officials.”
For more water conservation information, please visit the Suffolk County Water Authority website.
Pictured above - On Thursday, August 18, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine (second from right) held a press conference to address the current drought and water shortage on Long Island. As the Suffolk County Water Authority’s (SCWA) Center Moriches Water Tower loomed in the background, the Supervisor was joined by SCWA CEO Jeff Szabo (second from left); SCWA Deputy CEO for Operations Joe Pokorny (left) and the Town of Brookhaven Chief Fire Marshal, Chris Mehrman (right), who spoke about the drought’s effect on firefighting and other emergencies. They urged residents to voluntarily undertake water usage/conservation measures to prevent an emergency in the Town of Brookhaven.