Southampton Scored $19 Million Grant for Riverside Sewers

Southampton Town has been awarded a $19 million grant to help fund the construction of a sewer system and sewage treatment plant for Riverside — the cornerstone of the town’s decade-long drive for a sweeping revitalization of the blighted hamlet.

The town recently won a lawsuit brought by Riverhead Town seeking to stop the Riverside sewer system, which will be able to treat the daily sewage from more than 700 new residences and hundreds of thousands of square feet of new commercial businesses.

The first phase of the design and planing for the sewer system is complete and the town says it hopes to have the full designs in hand by the end of 2026 and hopes to have the plant constructed by the end of 2028.

The total cost for the project is expected to be between $35 million and $44 million.

This week’s funding windfall comes on the tails of another grant, for $5 million, secured for the project from the an EPA grant program to fund the planning and design of the sewer system and treatment plant.

“These grants provide the necessary funding to allow the Town to move ahead with a modern wastewater treatment system that will remove thousands of pounds of nitrogen from our waterways each year and pave the way for Riverside’s revitalization,” Supervisor Maria Moore said this week. “Every existing home will be able to connect at no cost to the homeowner, new paper roads will be established to create walkable neighborhood blocks, and the Town will soon begin work on a Pattern Book to guide attractive commercial and residential redevelopment, including opportunities for home ownership and rentals at both market and affordable rates.

“Combined with the Town’s recent investment in the Riverside Maritime Park walking trails, and the coming kayak launch and fishing pier, we are finally putting the pieces in place to unlock Riverside’s potential.”