suffolk County DPW history

Up to the adoption of the constitution of 1846 the election was by counties.

31, 1850 / copied by Edwin Webb Wheat; from Suffolk County.

The first sole representative was Alfred Wagstaff, in 1867, a Republican at that time.

Suffolk County, New York Online Historical Directories (MiriamJ. Robbins) -- Listings for 9 communities, drawn from Curtin's directory of 1868

Bi-centennial: History of Suffolk County, Comprising the Addresses Delivered at the Celebration of the Bi-Centennial of Suffolk County, N.Y., in Riverhead, November 15, 1883 [full-text], ed. by Stephen A. Titus.

Camp Wikoff See also Spanish-American War, 1898

Ups and Downs of Camp Upton [cartoons], 1917 (Internet Archive)

Ku Klux Klan Visits Yaphank, by Gus Neuss (Longwood's Journey) - contains links to articles on Klan activities around Suffolk in the early-mid 1920's

250th Anniversary of Suffolk County, 1683-1933: Celebration at Riverhead, New York, Saturday, November 4th, 1933.

New York State's first public benefit corporation for water service began operations on June 1, 1951, with 21,159 customers, when the SCWA acquired the South Bay Consolidated Water Company.

Experienced a prolonged drought during July, August, and September of 1952, which resulted in a substantial increase in revenue for the Authority.

Acquired the Huntington, Babylon, and Sag Harbor properties of the New York Water Service Corporation on February 27, 1953, with its 38,000 customers and a meter testing shop.

Acquired Deer Lake Water Company, serving 325 Deer Park homes, in September 1957.

Rate increase went into effect in June of 1958, costing SCWA customers 52 cents more a month.

By 1961, the Water Authority was serving 83,313 customers directly and an additional 3,236 through sales of water to water districts, for a total of 86,549.

New customer activity combined with the 71 miles of new main installation resembled the boom years of population growth during the 1970’s.

The first rate increase in fifteen years went into effect on April 1, 1973.

Rates were increased on excess water used over the minimum an average of 24% on September 1, 1975 to compensate for a 65% increase in overall operating expenses, the cost of borrowing money and the cost of construction.

Fiscal year 1986 provided the Authority with a full-fledged test of its ability to cope with a major emergency as Hurricane Gloria, the most severe hurricane to reach Long Island in 12 years, virtually paralyzed Long Island for over five days.

As the impact of the blackout rippled through Suffolk neighborhoods on August 14, 2003, warning lights in the SCWA control center in Bay Shore indicated that production wells were shutting down.