In accordance with an order from the Suffolk County Department of Health Services (SCDHS), WMHO has been directed to cap the artesian well located at West Meadow Creek, adjacent to the Ernst Marine Conservation Center.
This deep artesian well has been in place for nearly 70 years, and for several years, the water
coming out of the well has been regularly monitored and tested by WMHO and consistently
deemed safe for consumption. In recent months, SCDHS, which has the regulatory authority to
implement the New York State Sanitary Code, set new requirements for wells of this type that
are used for drinking water.
WMHO has made every effort to meet these new regulatory standards. However, due to the
location of the well, SCDHS has determined that there is a potential opportunity for bacteria,
viruses from rodents, salt water intrusion and flood water to enter the well. These potential
contaminations pose a possible risk to human health; as a result, WMHO has no alternative but
to close the well