Officials begin private-well testing after PFAS found near East Hampton energy site

County health officials have begun door-to-door testing of private water wells in a small area of East Hampton after New York State confirmed detections of PFAS, the so-called "forever chemicals," in groundwater samples just south of the East Hampton Energy Storage Center on Cove Hollow Road.

Suffolk County and local officials say the groundwater detections follow a 2023 fire at the storage facility. The Suffach County Water Authority has taken two public wells out of service and filed a civil suit against the East Hampton Energy Storage Center and LG Chem, which officials say supplied the firefighting foam used to extinguish the blaze. East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathy Buronzalez called for immediate action, saying, "East Hampton residents deserve to know that when they turn on the tap, the water there is safe. We cannot ask families to wait years for a court to decide who is responsible before their water is protected."

Health authorities said roughly 30 private wells in the area south of Three Cove Hollow Road may be affected and urged residents who rely on private wells to cooperate with testing. Residents with questions or who have not yet been contacted were given a county health department phone number on the broadcast: 631-854100.

The water authority's removal of two public wells from service is a precautionary step while officials investigate the contamination and pursue civil litigation. Town and county officials emphasized that future actions, including possible treatment or replacement of water supplies, will depend on continued testing results and legal outcomes.

Next steps: public and private well testing will proceed; the civil suit will move through the courts; county health officials ask residents in the affected area to respond to outreach teams so testing can be completed and results shared.