Huntington to study capacity of sewer district

A study to determine the unused and potential capacity of the Huntington sewer district is expected to begin this fall.

The town board recently voted 5 to 0 to authorize a $25,900 contract with Melville-based H2M Architects and Engineers for professional engineering services to conduct the study.

"There is new development of properties within the district so we need to do an analysis of what the district can handle and what we need to do if necessary to increase the potential capacity," town board member Susan Berland said in an interview Tuesday.

The district runs from the north side of the Long Island Rail Road tracks in Huntington Station to the sewage treatment facility on Creek Road in Halesite, with varying east and west boundaries.

Town officials said that since the last analysis of the system was done in 2007, there has been development and proposed development in the district, such as the AvalonBay residential community and some of the apartments-over-stores projects in downtown Huntington that have affected or could impact future development and sanitation.

"The parameters of the district have not changed, but what's inside has changed," Berland said.

The capacity of the sewer district is 2.6 million gallons per day. In 2013, the average daily flow was 1.9 million gallons per day, about the same as this year -- 1.899 million gallons per day.

SEE PHOTOSSuffolk County Water Authority

The district was created and a plant built in 1915. The plant was updated in 1938, in the 1980s and in 2007-08, town officials said. There are 3,201 parcels in the district.

The study is being paid for from a fund the town set up following the 2007 update. Town code was updated to include a provision to charge developers impact fees for sewer-related projects.