The Town of East Hampton and the Suffolk County Water Authority have jointly applied for grant funding under New York State's Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017 to extend water mains to residences in Wainscott at which private wells have tested positive for perfluorinated compounds.

The grant, if secured, would cover the lesser of $10 million or 40 percent of the estimated $24 million-plus cost of the project, which is expected to begin early in August. The town board had previously announced its intention to apply for a grant to offset the project's cost. 

The move follows the board's July 5 vote to enter into an inter-municipal agreement with the water authority, which paved the way for a grant application. The water authority is acting as lead agency in the application. 

The town previously established a water supply district in the impacted area and will fund the project through the issuance of bonds, with any grant money to be used for reimbursement. The impacted area lies south of East Hampton Airport, stretching to the Atlantic Ocean. 

Approximately 45,000 feet of water main between 6 and 16 inches in diameter are to be installed in the area. Copper and high-density polyethylene pipe service lines will be installed between the water main and impacted residences. Meters, meter vaults, and fire hydrants will also be installed.

Existing private wells will be disconnected from the internal plumbing of homes to prevent the possibility of cross-contamination with the public water system. The State Health Department has recommended that residents not use their private wells for irrigation purposes.

Since the detection of perfluorooctane sulfonate, or PFOS, and perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, in multiple private wells in the hamlet, which was announced in October, the town has provided bottled water to affected residents and offered a rebate for those who opt to install point-of-entry water treatment systems.

"We're very happy to be able to help residents of Wainscott secure a drinking water supply that is safe and constantly tested for the presence of nearly of 400 chemicals, far more than we are required to test for," Jeffrey Szabo, the water authority's chief executive officer, said in a statement issued on Tuesday. "Additionally, Wainscott residents should know that our internal standards for water quality are more rigorous than regulations require."

The project is expected to be completed by year's end. 

East Hampton Town announced on Monday that 32 unrelated people were found to be occupying a single-family house at 38 Railroad Avenue in East Hampton, off Abraham's Path, after a search warrant was executed there on Sunday morning.

The East Hampton Town Police Department, along with the town's Ordinance Enforcement Department, building inspectors, and fire marshals, executed the warrant shortly after 6 a.m., according to a release issued by the town. Eighteen of the people at the house were sleeping on mattresses on the basement floor. 

The town code prohibits multifamily occupancy in single-family residences, as well as rental or occupancy of less than the entire residence. Language in the code also addresses overcrowding and excessive turnover.

Additional code violations included a gasoline generator and storage tank in the basement where the 18 occupants were sleeping, according to the release. Use of the generator could have created lethal levels of carbon monoxide, police said, and the basement was equipped with neither smoke nor carbon monoxide detectors. 

The town said the property's owner was Evan Davis of Jamaica, Queens. Mr. Davis, who was not at the property at the time the search warrant was executed, will be given an appearance ticket once he has been located, according to the statement from Town Hall. Braham Elorda was identified as the house's manager. He was issued an appearance ticket to appear in East Hampton Town's Justice Court. 

The majority of the occupants are not from East Hampton, according to the release, but are employed by local businesses. They told investigators that they pay Mr. Elorda between $100 and $150 per week in cash to live in the house. Some had just arrived to stay there, and others had been in residence for longer.

The multiple code violations could result in fines totaling tens of thousands of dollars, according to the release. 

"Overcrowded housing such as this not only places residents in dangerous conditions but poses a risk to public safety and the environment when septic systems are overtaxed, and diminishes the quality of life for others in neighborhoods designed for single-family residences," Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc said in the statement. "The town will continue to actively enforce our codes to ensure the safety of all our residents."

Execution of the warrant followed an investigation into the property initiated by the town's Ordinance Enforcement Department. The investigation is continuing.

Sharon Bakes has two children who are 8 and 14 years old, and acknowledges she can’t definitively prove the well water at the Noyac house her children have lived in their entire lives contributed to their developmental problems. But she is concerned about what might be leeching into the soil and water there from the controversial Sand Land industrial mine, which has been operating on Middle Line Highway in Noyac since 1961. Janet Verneuille, a nearby Noyac homeowner, also worries about the water at her house.

Now, the frequently litigious, often contentious two-decade-old fight over the Sand Land operation could be nearing an end if some local residents, environmental groups, and elected officials have their way following a study by the Suffolk Department of Health Services released on June 29, which cited the presence of contaminants in groundwater beneath the site.

“Sand Land should be shut down,” State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. said Monday, reiterating remarks he made at a July 13 press conference to discuss the Health Department’s findings, which was also attended by Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman and Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming, along with representatives of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, the Group for the East End, and the Noyac Civic Council.

Mr. Schneiderman stressed in a phone interview Monday that the issue is complex. “Sand mines aren’t inherently bad,” he said. But, based on the county’s study, he believes the Sand Land mine should not have its five-year permit renewed by the State Department of Environmental Conservation nor its application to mine a larger and deeper area of the 50-acre site approved. The permit is up for renewal in November. 

The Suffolk Health Department study found that Sand Land’s mining and other operations, such as processing vegetative waste, construction debris, compost, and mulch, has resulted in the release of iron, manganese, thallium, sodium, nitrate, ammonia, and radioactivity into the deep recharge area beneath the site and the aquifer. Iron was found in the deepest parts of the water table at concentrations over 200 times the drinking-water standard and manganese was found at concentrations at almost 100 times the drinking-water standard.

The entire South Fork’s long-term drinking water supply is dependent on the groundwater protection area where the mine is located.

“I recall when we first moved here 25 years ago, a friend of ours, a professor at the college, used to bottle his own water from our tap because he believed it was the cleanest, safest water to drink,” Ms. Verneuille said. “Our well draws water from the aquifer, so we are anxious about possible health impacts on our family and neighbors. It’s the talk of the community.”

Sand Land, which is owned and operated by John Tintle of Wainscott Sand and Gravel, is promising to keep fighting. It will contest the county’s findings, the company’s attorney, Brian Matthews of Matthews, Kirst & Cooley in East Hampton, said in a phone interview Monday. Sand Land also has no intention of rescinding its applications to remain in business or expand, Mr. Matthews said.

Mr. Matthews said his client disagrees with the health department’s interpretations of the data it collected, and that he has hired his own experts. “We think the conclusions are flawed,” Mr. Matthews said. He noted that Sand Land had not been cited for any violations by the D.E.C. He also released a statement on his client’s behalf that read, in part: “The review conducted to date reveals a number of internal inconsistencies and other critical findings that belie the county’s conclusion that the use of the site has adversely impacted the groundwater.”

One of the facts Sand Land has seized upon is that the 36 private wells in Noyac surrounding the mine that the county tested were all found to meet drinking-water standards. The county’s report goes on to note, however, that the residential wells are unlikely to be as deep as the 137 to 150-foot test wells the county drilled at the Sand Land site, which could explain the variations.

Ms. Bakes, Ms. Verneuille, and Elena Loreto, president of the Noyac Civic Council, said they recently paid for private tests of their wells and they also came up clean. But they worry that could change, Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said.

Ms. Esposito, whose environmental group joined this fight seven years ago, said, “It is scientifically valid now — we know they’re polluting. We know this pollution is coming from the mulching and composting operations that they’re doing. This is so mind-blowing. Why would the state wait for someone’s private well water to be polluted when it’s now been proven this mine is a known polluter? Enough already.”

The chance that the county study could lead to another round of litigation in addition to the cases pending at the local and state level surprises no one involved. The county’s ability to even conduct its tests at the mine was a drawn-out process.

Sand Land officials initially agreed in 2015 to let the county’s on-site well drilling and water testing happen, then rescinded permission. County officials had to go to court to gain access. That finally happened in 2017, and the wells were drilled in October. The county’s lab completed testing of the samples in February 2018. In March, the county’s hydrogeologists completed quality control and validation processes and sent samples to the D.E.C. and New York State Department of Health. 

But even before the county released its final report on June 29, the Group for the East End, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, and Noyac Civic Council, which has over 500 members, successfully filed a Freedom of Information Act request for access to the raw data the county obtained. The groups hired their own expert and his report came to the same general conclusions as the county health department’s.

To residents long frustrated with the pace of this fight, consensus seemed like a eureka moment. The test results corroborated for the first time their long-held suspicion that the plant is a hazard.

Now some of those residents say they are even more upset that testing wasn’t done all along to make sure no damage was being done and the site was regulated.

“We’ve been warning the D.E.C. about this for more than 10 years, and they will harass fishermen and people that are growing oysters, but they don’t give a damn about this,” Ms. Loreto, who has owned a house in Noyac for 41 years, said. “I’ve written to the governor, I’ve written to the D.E.C., and nobody gets back to you.”

“Well, never mistake lethargy for strategy,” Bob DeLuca, president of the Group of Concerned Citizens, said. “Historically the state hasn’t seemed to know what to do, or have the volition to do anything. But somebody there has to look at this now and say, ‘Houston, we’ve got a problem.’ ”

Mr. Matthews, Sand Land’s attorney, said the company’s testing of its three wells at the mine show different results than the county reported.

But Mr. Thiele and Mr. Schneiderman said they stand by the Suffolk Health Department’s conclusions.

“People might reasonably disagree on policy decisions that should be taken now, but not the science,” Mr. Thiele said. “I don’t always agree with the Suffolk County Health Department on the policy side, but when it comes to their lab, their water quality testing, Suffolk County is basically state of the art. Never have they been wrong in their technical work on water testing, to my knowledge. They are the envy of the state.”

For Ms. Bakes, who has watched this play out as she raised her children, the county report has fanned hope that the end of the fight is near. But she’s wary. “I don’t feel like we’ve had enough accountability or regulation of the mine,” she said. “Some people here are getting bottled water or Poland Spring deliveries to their homes. That’s just for drinking. We have filters on our water, too. ­­­But I don’t know if it filters out carcinogens or the heavy metals they’re finding. This is a huge issue, and we still don’t have any answers.”

Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. and State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle announced on Monday that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation will host a series of meetings to gather feedback from key stakeholders about the state’s current commercial fishing licensing system and ideas for reforms to modernize and improve the program. 

Among the meetings to be held on Long Island is one next Thursday at 6 p.m. at Southampton Town Hall, at 116 Hampton Road. Another will happen on Tuesday at the D.E.C.’s division of marine resources office in suite 1 at 205 North Belle Mead Road in East Setauket. Another is set for Aug. 21 at 6 p.m. at the Suffolk County Marine Environmental Learning Center, at 3690 Cedar Beach Road in Southold. 

Last year, Mr. Thiele and Mr. LaValle blocked the D.E.C. from continuing the current commercial licensing scheme for another three years. As a compromise, the licensing scheme was limited to one year, and Basil Seggos, the D.E.C. commissioner, agreed to come to Long Island last fall to meet with members of commercial fishing industry.

At that meeting, the industry unanimously supported a challenge to the federal quotas and a demand that the commercial fishing licensing system be reformed to improve access and transferability of licenses. Mr. Seggos promised action. 

In a statement issued on Monday, Mr. Thiele said, “I am pleased to see that the D.E.C. is keeping its promise to support a vital Long Island industry that is getting choked out by poor regulation. Commercial fishermen have long suffered from unfair and inequitable quotas arbitrarily set by the federal government based on faulty data. Additionally, the current regulations related to the transfer of permits and licenses have thwarted the proper operation of this industry.”

“We must resolve these issues with our fishing community at the table in full participation,” Mr. LaValle said in the same statement. “The economic survival of our commercial fishermen must be our ultimate priority. I, too, applaud the D.E.C.’s efforts to fight for fair and equitable quotas and will continue my efforts to protect this vital industry.” 

George LaPointe, a marine fisheries consultant retained by the D.E.C., will facilitate the meetings. A former commissioner of the Maine Department of Natural Resources, Mr. LaPointe will analyze and evaluate the current marine commercial licensing system and provide recommendations on how to improve and revise it.

The East Hampton Town Trustees are reviewing an updated draft of a “community benefits” package from Deepwater Wind and have appointed four trustees to choose an attorney to help examine it.

The Rhode Island company seeks to build the 15-turbine offshore South Fork Wind Farm some 30 miles off Montauk and has promised the town $8.5 million in sustainability programs and infrastructure improvements in exchange for an easement allowing it to land a transmission cable at an ocean beach in Wainscott and bury it between there and a Long Island Power Authority substation in East Hampton. 

Francis Bock, the trustees’ clerk, said on Tuesday that the new draft proposal contained “a few enhancements” but “nothing extravagant”; however, “there were some details that I think we need some wording changes on before we can even consider it.” He declined a request to share the document. 

The trustees have debated the wind farm for more than a year and hosted many discussions at its meetings and those of its harbor management committee. Mr. Bock, however, has questioned the trustees’ jurisdiction over the ocean beach in Wainscott. Last month, he said that records indicate that the body turned Beach Lane over to the commissioners of highways in the 1880s. The trustees have not conducted a title search to prove ownership, he said. 

Rick Drew, Jim Grimes, John Aldred, and Susan McGraw Keber will comprise the committee charged with seeking an attorney to handle the benefits proposal. The move follows the town board’s vote last Thursday to retain outside counsel to negotiate the granting of an easement and the community benefits package. 

While commercial fishermen are near unanimous in opposing the wind farm, none of the four people who urged the trustees not to grant a lease allowing the transmission cable to make landing at the end of Beach Lane in Wainscott on Monday make their living on the water. 

Michael McDonald of the East End Resilience Network told the trustees that while he supports wind power and “we have to move into renewable energy to deal with climate change,” his initial support for the South Fork Wind Farm faded on closer examination. 

“If they were delivering a solution to peak demand, that would be great,” Mr. McDonald said of the South Fork’s high demand for electricity during the summer months. “They’re not doing that. In reality, the hottest days of the year have essentially no wind, so this is not a solution for peak demand,” which he said was the purpose of LIPA’s South Fork request for proposals, from which the South Fork Wind Farm was selected. 

In fact, he said, the wind farm as proposed will not deliver nearly enough power to meet the summer demand, but LIPA ratepayers will nonetheless be saddled with a high fixed rate throughout the wind farm’s life span despite a predicted steep fall in the cost of wind power. 

He also criticized the town board, which voted 3-2 to support the granting of an easement last Thursday “without doing appropriate due diligence, and in addition to that, putting out public statements that say that there is no environmental concern about Deepwater Wind.” The latter assertion may have been a reference to a July 17 memo issued jointly by the town’s Natural Resources and Planning Departments that concludes with a finding that granting the easement would have “no adverse environmental impact on natural resources within the town’s jurisdiction.” 

Like Mr. McDonald, Tom Bjurlof criticized the town board for its move last Thursday. He too urged the trustees to allow Deepwater Wind to submit permit applications to federal and state agencies without first granting access rights, as the developer has sought. He urged the trustees to file for intervener status under Article VII, a review process under the state public service law covering applications to construct and operate a major electric transmission facility. The trustees had previously indicated that they would file for intervener status. 

David Gruber, who is running for town board, repeated criticism he voiced at the town board meeting last Thursday and decried what he said was the popular misconception that granting an easement to Deepwater Wind will enhance the town’s ability to participate in influencing the wind farm’s ultimate outcome. “I can’t tell you exactly who’s conning whom here,” he said, “but we are collectively being conned.” 

Clint Plummer, Deepwater Wind’s vice president of development, said in an email yesterday that the proposed wind farm is “a year-round energy solution for the South Fork” and “a major part of a portfolio of energy solutions selected specifically by LIPA to address the South Fork’s need for new sources of energy, especially during peak energy demand in the summer months.” LIPA’s South Fork request for proposals “was not intended to supply all the energy used on the South Fork, but rather to satisfy a particular energy need within a certain time frame. Independent energy professionals determined that this portfolio is the most affordable solution to meet the South Fork’s specific energy challenge. Every other option that was considered would cost ratepayers more.” LIPA ratepayers will only be charged for the power the wind farm delivers, he said, “which LIPA has stated is comparable to the price of its other renewables.”

The campaign to represent New York’s First Congressional District, pitting the Republican incumbent, Representative Lee Zeldin, against Perry Gershon, the Democratic nominee, is drawing national attention. 

The Hill, an online and print newspaper that covers Congress, published an article on Sunday quoting Mr. Gershon’s comments made at a Democratic primary forum in East Marion in February. The Hill quotes Mr. Gershon from a video it said had been sent by a Republican operative in which he said that he was “struck by the parallels between the rise of Donald Trump and the rise of Hitler back then. And I just said to myself that we have to stand up and make sure this doesn’t happen in America.” 

One of the president’s sons, Donald Trump Jr., seized on Mr. Gershon’s remarks. “How sick and deranged does someone has [sic] to be to compare [President Trump] to a madman who ruthlessly slaughtered millions of people?” he asked on Twitter. He went on to ask that voters support Mr. Zeldin, “who is running against this leftwing nut job” in New York’s First Congressional District. 

In his own tweet, Mr. Zeldin wrote that “My opponent says he decided to run against me bc of his comparison of Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler of Nazi, Germany, who murdered millions of Jews & other people. This craziness is unhinged and disgusting.” 

The conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh also weighed in, calling Mr. Gershon a “looney toon,” according to Mr. Gershon’s campaign, which is embracing the controversy. 

In emails soliciting campaign donations, the campaign has also cited Mr. Trump’s tweet. “They know the blue wave is coming,” an email sent on Monday stated, referring to predictions of Democratic gains in the House of Representatives in the Nov. 6 election, “and they’re desperate to protect the President’s favorite yes man.” 

The email goes on to say that Mr. Zeldin’s record includes “how he voted to take health care away from millions of Americans, is encouraging the [National Rifle Association] to have veto power over common-sense gun violence laws, and now he’s trying to defund Planned Parenthood.”

Responding to Mr. Trump’s tweet, Mr. Gershon’s campaign said in an email on Tuesday that “Team Zeldin must really be in trouble if their best friends are already lashing out at Perry.”

The current two-week closure of the commercial fluke fishery has once again drawn the ire of State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. and State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle, who issued a joint statement last week calling for New York State to keep its promise to its commercial fishermen and immediately bring litigation to strike down the inequitable fluke quotas that continue to put a severe crimp on the economic viability of the state’s commercial industry.

On July 15, New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation announced that the fluke fishery would be closed in state waters until the end of the month and would then reopen with a harvest limit of 50 pounds per day.

In late 2017, Governor Cuomo promised to sue the federal government over the state’s low share of the East Coast fluke fishery. This spring, instead of bringing litigation, the state filed a petition with the United States Department of Commerce protesting the quota. The state has yet to hear back.

“These state-by-state quotas created by the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Marine Fisheries Service, pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Act, are based upon faulty and incomplete collection data, which discriminate against commercial fishermen in the State of New York,” Mr. Thiele said in a statement. “As a result of these discriminatory practices, New York’s quota for a number of species of black sea bass, bluefish, scup, and fluke are much lower than would be allocated under a fair non-discriminatory system. New York’s summer flounder quota was less than half of that allocated to Rhode Island, New Jersey, Virginia, and North Carolina.”

“This discriminatory quota system has resulted in unwarranted economic and job losses,” he added. “New York has promised to protect our fishing industry. That promise must be kept.”

“Our commercial fishing industry is an essential element in the fabric of the East End. It is way past time that New York State steps up to support our local fishermen by immediately filing suit to obtain equitable quotas,” Mr. LaValle said in the same release. “We need the governor and the attorney general to file the lawsuits immediately. Too many of our fishing families are being harmed by the discriminatory quotas. This needs to stop now.”

In January, Mr. Thiele and Mr. LaValle introduced two bills directing the state attorney general to bring legal actions against the National Marine Fisheries Services or any other federal or interstate agency challenging existing inequitable fishing quotas that discriminate against New York State commercial fishermen. No legislative action was taken because of the commitment from the executive branch to bring litigation. Mr. Thiele and Mr. LaValle plan to reintroduce the bills again in 2019 and pursue their passage if no action is taken.

“This midsummer closure is not right,” said John Rade, a Montauk commercial rod and reel fisherman. “The 50-pound limit is bad enough, but not  to be able to fish at all is not right.”

James Tomarken, the Suffolk County health commissioner, announced on Friday that five new mosquito samples have tested positive for West Nile virus. To date, the county has confirmed nine positive mosquito samples, but no human cases of the virus have been reported as yet.

The samples were collected between July 10 and 13 from Dix Hills, West Babylon, North Babylon, Huntington, and Yaphank.

“The confirmation of West Nile virus in mosquito samples or birds indicates the presence of West Nile virus in the area,” Dr. Tomarken said in a statement. “While there is no cause for alarm, we advise residents to cooperate with us in our efforts to reduce the exposure to the virus, which can be debilitating to humans.”

To avoid mosquito bites, residents have been advised to minimize outdoor activities between dusk and dawn; wear shoes and socks, long pants, and long-sleeve shirts when mosquitoes are active; use mosquito repellent, following label directions carefully, and make sure all windows and doors have screens and that all screens are in good repair.

Also, to keep mosquitoes from laying eggs inside residences or out by emptying and scrubbing, turning over, covering, or throwing out containers that hold water, such as vases, pet water bowls, flowerpot saucers, discarded tires, buckets, pool covers, birdbaths, trash cans and rain barrels. The county’s informational brochure “Get the Buzz on Mosquito Protection” in English and Spanish, is available at suffolkcountyny.gov. 

West Nile virus, first detected in birds and mosquito samples in Suffolk County in 1999 and again each year thereafter, is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito. No humans or horses have tested positive for West Nile virus in Suffolk this year. 

Most people infected with the virus will experience mild or no symptoms, but some can have a severe reaction, including high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness, and paralysis. The symptoms may last several weeks, and neurological effects may be permanent. Everyone, especially people 50 years of age or older or those with compromised immune systems, who are most at risk, has been urged to take precautions to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.

Five political parties have announced their endorsement of Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele in his bid for re-election. Mr. Thiele, who has represented the First District in the State Assembly since 1995, will be the candidate of the Independence Party, of which he is a member, as well as the Democratic, Working Families, Women’s Equality, and Reform Parties. 

All five parties filed petitions with the requisite number of signatures to designate him as their candidate.

“I am honored to be endorsed in my re-election to the State Assembly by such a broad cross-section of voters in my district,” Mr. Thiele said in a statement issued on Monday. “The support of these five parties demonstrates that my work on behalf of eastern Long Island has been broadly recognized in the community. Throughout my tenure in Albany, I have put my district first and have rejected the partisanship that has paralyzed so much of our government. I thank the voters across the district who took the time to sign or carry petitions supporting my candidacy.”

The general election will be held on Nov. 6.

Suffolk County

Oyster Farm Decision

At the Suffolk County Legislature’s July 17 meeting, Legislator Bridget Fleming secured authorization to include 52 underwater parcels in Gardiner’s Bay in certified agricultural districts for lease to oyster farmers under the county’s aquaculture program. The inclusion of the parcels is a compromise arrived at after the Legislature’s environment, planning, and agriculture committee heard from recreational boaters and oyster farmers. 

The 52 parcels were among 390 originally proposed for leases, totaling approximately 26,000 acres, that are already in existing and certified Agricultural Districts 1, 5, and 7. 

Inclusion within a certified agricultural district allows the property to receive benefits and protections under the state’s Agriculture and Markets Law. The measure will not affect a 10-year review of the county’s aquaculture program, which is about to commence.

“After many weeks of meetings and conversations with different groups, I am glad to have been able to find a common-sense compromise to this challenging issue,” Ms. Fleming said in a statement. “With the battle against nitrogen pollution and brown tide a top priority, it’s critically important that we encourage oyster cultivation, as oysters are filter feeders and reduce nitrogen in our bays, creeks, and harbors. In addition, the restoration of our once-booming shellfish industry is an important economic goal. At the same time, millions of recreational boaters enjoy our stunning waterways, helping to drive the economy and to make the East End the special place it is. Their concerns regarding safe navigation must be considered.”

Members of the Devon Yacht Club in Amagansett and residents who live along Gardiner’s Bay had complained that the seascape would be changed by the appearance of 10-acre oyster farms offshore. Early this year, an attorney for the club filed a lawsuit in State Supreme Court seeking to bar leaseholders of underwater parcels near the club from undertaking or continuing any action related to oyster farming or engaging in any other activity that would interfere with sailing. 

Septic Awareness

The Suffolk County Legislature’s septic nitrogen awareness outreach campaign is planning to initiate a program to educate property owners about septic discharge and how it affects surface waters and aquifers. 

Concerned Citizens of Montauk, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, and Group for the East End will work collaboratively with the Legislature. C.C.O.M. has agreed to match the county’s $112,000 for the project, which will begin within the next year and is to be completed within three years. In a statement, Laura Tooman, C.C.O.M.’s president, said: “C.C.O.M. looks forward to working with Suffolk County.” In the same statement, Legislator Bridget Fleming said, “Partnering with local not-for-profits on common goals like we are here is just another example of good government in action.”

Tick Contest 

The winners of Suffolk County’s 2018 tick safety poster contest were honored on July 17 at a meeting of the Legislature. The grand prizewinner, Annika Pasquale, received a joint proclamation from Legislators Bridget Fleming and Al Krupski, and the third division winner, Berlin Pasquale, received a certificate from Ms. Fleming. In addition, April Nil-Boitano, from Tick-Wise Education, who helped organize the contest, accepted a certificate for East End Tick and Mosquito Control, one of the contest’s sponsors. 

“Prevention is key in avoiding tick-borne illnesses,” Ms. Fleming said in a statement. “That’s what makes prevention, and education about prevention techniques, so important.” 

New York State

To Improve Roads and Crosswalks

Several East End crosswalks will receive improvements as part of a $62 million state program to enhance pedestrian safety, according to a recent announcement from State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. The initiative involves engineering work as well as education and law enforcement campaigns.

A $7.5 million project is underway to improve safety at 236 locations on Long Island, including 23 uncontrolled crosswalks in the Towns of East Hampton and Southampton and 7 in Sag Harbor Village and North Haven Village. The Sag Harbor Village locations include three intersections with Division Street, at Love Lane, Burke Street, and Bay Street. On North Haven a section of Ferry Road in front of Village Hall will also be improved. The work is expected to be completed next summer. 

Several segments of Montauk Highway in East Hampton, Bridgehampton, and Water Mill are slated for safety enhancements as well. 

Earlier this month, Mr. Thiele announced that the state has allocated $2.6 million to repair more than 54 miles of state roads on the East End, including sections of Montauk Highway extending from County Road 39 in Southampton to Stephen Hand’s Path in East Hampton, and from Buell Lane in East Hampton Village to South Etna Avenue in Montauk. The project is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2019.

Federal

Gershon Opens Southampton Office

Perry Gershon, the Democratic Party’s nominee to challenge Representative Lee Zeldin in New York’s First Congressional District, will open a campaign field office in Southampton on Sunday.

The campaign has invited the public to the opening of the office, at 71 Hill Street, at 10 a.m. that day. Mr. Gershon will attend the opening, as will local elected officials and community leaders, according to the campaign. “Help us send the message that we have a grassroots team ready to defeat Lee Zeldin in November and flip the 1st Congressional District,” the campaign said in an email on Tuesday.