State links battery‑storage fire to groundwater contamination near East Hampton wells

State environmental and health officials have tied chemical contamination in several Suffolk County Water Authority wells to a May 2023 fire at a battery‑storage facility on Cove Hollow Road, East End News reported.

"The DEC confirmed this chemical mixture can break down into PFPRA," anchor Tess Quinlan said during the broadcast summary of presentations made this week to the East Hampton Town Board. Quinlan reported the fire released about "4,900 pounds of waterless fire suppression material" that mixed with "more than 1,000,000 gallons of water," and that testing indicates the mixture drained into surrounding soil and migrated into regional groundwater. The anchor said four public wells were shuttered and that those wells represent roughly 7% of the town's water supply.

Officials from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Department of Health presented their findings at the town board's work session, the anchor said. East Hampton Supervisor Kathy Burke Gonzalez "is still evaluating the information," the broadcast reported, citing a statement provided through a spokesman. State agencies told the Town Board that a final report is expected this fall and that testing of private wells and nearby houses is ongoing.

Why this matters: the DEC and DOH presentations link a locally operated battery storage site to contamination that has immediate implications for drinking‑water sourcing and for residents on private wells. The work session is an early public step; the agencies indicated further testing and a final report are forthcoming.