On Friday, November 3, a visitor to Port Jefferson History & Nature Center reported a water leak near the Live Hive honeybee house below the trail a few feet from the base of the levee. Once the City crew went into action on Monday, the 6 inch leaking culprit was exposed for patching. As the repair process proceeded, a large gully was cut between the pipe and the bayou by the high pressure water stream. The resulting cut reached the depth of the 1872 public wharf just above the current water line.

The large wooden plank from Jefferson’s 1872 wharf which was exposed by the water leak
The John Judd built 1872 wharf replaced and extended the dilapidated 1854 wharf from Walnut Street to the east side of the alley between Soda and Washington streets. It was 590 feet long and 20 feet wide with a slope of 1.5 – 2 inches per foot. This wharf was only used for a couple of years because of the coming of the railroad to the immediate area. Both sediment from floods and fill from City hired contractors covered the wharf.