Just recently approved by Suffolk County Officials, a $400 million sewer expansion project funded by a combination of state and federal grants, is expected to kick off at the beginning of this month. Known as the Suffolk County Coastal Resiliency Initiative, the project will connect roughly 6,000 South Shore parcels and eliminate the use of thousands of cesspools and septic systems. The goal of the project is to make the coastline more resilient against storms and to reduce fouling of local bays.

The funding for the project is split between state and federal funding, with $243 million coming from FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, $66 million from the U.S. Community Development Grant Program, $30.7 million of NYS financial assistance, $42 million from the Suffolk County American Rescue Plan, and $24 million of the sewer stability reserve fund.

The project will begin by connecting 1,489 Suffolk County homes in the district 3 sewer system starting at the beginning of this month. Secondly, it will move to connect 1,884 homes located on the Forge River Watershed in Brookhaven to a new water treatment facility being built in Mastic. The project will also connect an additional 2,184 homes located on the Carlls River Watershed in Babylon to a current sewer district.

To learn more about the project visit the recent Newsday article or the Long Island Business New site.