Fire Island power station facing erosion; Town of Brookhaven raises concerns

The Town of Brookhaven is raising alarms about the potential impacts of erosion on a power substation at Fire Island Pines, saying 1,500 customers could face blackouts in a big storm.

The substation, located 500 feet east of Fire Island Pines, was built in 1970 and has faced significant erosion around it in the decades since. Substations are located throughout the Long Island Power Authority territory to step-down high-voltage power levels from transmission lines linked to power plants and other sources to voltages usable by homes and businesses.

LIPA said it's planning to set up a temporary protective barrier around the station as it works to get permits for more permanent fixes, but stressed there are no immediate concerns of a power outage.

In a letter to LIPA chief Tom Falcone this summer, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine asked the utility to work with the federal counterparts at the Fire Island National Seashore and others to address the issue of shoreline erosion around the substation.

“I am concerned if this is not addressed, that this substation could be put out of commission by the next large storm,” Romaine wrote. Flooding of substations and other equipment impacted hundreds of thousands of customers during Superstorm Sandy, and a dozen substations were fortified and raised to prevent future washouts.

PSEG Long Island, in a statement, said it is working with Sen. Chuck Schumer’s office "to coordinate a response with Fire Island National Seashore, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Nature Conservancy and other stakeholders."

"Currently we are in the process of developing an immediate response to secure the substation while we are working on midterm and long term solutions," PSEG said.

The shoreline at the substation on Fire Island, which fronts the Great South Bay, has retreated some 143 feet since 1954, Romaine noted, with around 1.3 feet of recession a year before 2004, and 4.8 feet per year since then.

“At the current rate, it is estimated that the top of the bluff will be at the substation fence in approximately four years,” Romaine wrote. “However, in the event of a significant storm, the rate of recession will likely accelerate, rendering this substation inoperable.”

Falcone in a response to Romaine also said LIPA and PSEG were "actively working" to address the concerns.

"Given the substation’s vulnerability to accelerated shoreline erosion, our coastal engineering consultant is developing a proposal for a temporary stay of the eroding bluff," Falcone wrote.

For the longer term, he said, LIPA recognizes the need for a "sustainable approach to mitigate shoreline erosion."

Falcone noted he's requested that local stakeholders, including Fire Island Pines property owners, "be included in outreach on this project to ensure they are informed of the work that has taken and will take place to remedy this issue."

In the meantime, LIPA said, there are no issues with reliability of the substation, and blackouts aren't expected.

By Mark Harrington

mark.harrington@newsday.comMHarringtonNews

Mark Harrington, a Newsday reporter since 1999, covers energy, wineries, Indian affairs and fisheries.