Oyster Farmers Sue Huntington over Ed Smyth's Environmental Evasions

By Leader Staff

The Long Island Oyster Growers Association has filed suit against the Town of Huntington to block Supervisor Ed Smyth's scheme to build thousands of high-density rental apartments in Huntington, claiming that Smyth deliberately evaded the state's SEQRA environmental rules to try to push through an urban-style development.

The Plaintiffs are the Long Island Oyster Growers Association and Open Water Enterprises, LLC, a family-owned oyster farm, who have filed a Petition in Suffolk County Supreme Court to compel the Town of Huntington to protect the bay from the harmful development plan.

Supervisor Ed Smyth's Melville mass apartment scheme was "approved without proper environmental review, and risks devastating shellfish populations and the bay’s delicate balance," according to the Oyster Growers.

"The Town’s plan connects new residential and mixed-use developments to the Southwest Sewer District, piping treated sewage into the Atlantic Ocean south of Fire Island," added the Oyster Growers. "This approach drains Long Island’s aquifer, already depleted by 20 vertical feet in the Melville area, since 1908."

The environmental consequences are dire, and include:

Dried-up rivers and streams, reducing freshwater flow;

Warmer bay waters, disrupting oyster growth and survival;

Higher salinity, fueling predation and harmful algae blooms like Brown Tide; and 

Fewer oysters, threatening farmers’ livelihoods and the bay’s health.  Each oyster cleans 25 gallons of seawater each day.

"The Great South Bay is our lifeblood,” said Sixto Portilla, owner of Open Water Enterprises. “For years, we’ve raised oysters in the bay. The Town’s plan could destroy our way of life and the ecosystem we depend upon.”

"There’s a better way," added the Oyster Growers. "Proven technologies, already used across Long Island—including in Huntington—treat wastewater on-site and recharge the aquifer, protecting the bay and its shellfish. Yet the Town ignored these solutions, prioritizing developer profits over environmental responsibility."

The Long Island Oyster Growers Association and Open Water Enterprises are fighting for a thorough SEQRA environmental review to ensure that Smyth's Melville Overlay District doesn’t harm the bay. They urge the Town to adopt sustainable wastewater solutions that safeguard Long Island’s rivers, wetlands, and marine life.

“We call on Huntington to rethink this shortsighted plan," added Eric Koepele, President of the Long Island Oyster Growers Association. “We invite our community to join us in this fight for our waters and our way of life.”

The Long Island Oyster Growers Association represents shellfish and seaweed farmers dedicated to sustainable aquaculture and the health of Long Island’s waters. Open Water Enterprises is a family-owned oyster farm in the Great South Bay, committed to environmental stewardship and thriving shellfish populations.