In Tom Wolfe’s novel The Bonfire of the Vanities, a single catastrophic night shatters the illusion that the powerful can bend reality to fit their narrative. Today’s rush to deploy Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in densely populated areas rests on a similar illusion: that regulators can wish away very real safety and environmental risks with reassuring talking points and incomplete data.
𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀
— Watts Up With That (@wattsupwiththat) June 9, 2026
Battery storage systems have a worse safety and environmental record in two and a half years than nuclear power has in fifty.
New York regulators are still siting them in populated areas anyway.
A fire at one facility led to a… pic.twitter.com/WsIIjg3KHJ
Watts Up With That has previously published articles describing concerns with BESS. I authored a white paper titled The Intrinsic Danger of Siting Utility Scale Lithium Based Energy Storage Systems In Densely Populated Areas that provides an overview of those concerns. My most recent Public Service Commission filing compared 50 years of U.S. nuclear plant operations with roughly 2.5 years of BESS operations in the United States. This post describes an addendum to that filing, prompted by a real-world New York case that underscores how quickly a “managed” battery incident can turn into a literal bonfire of the batteries.
Initial Filing
In my initial filing, I compared the safety records of the BESS industry and the nuclear industry. The BESS industry has a far worse safety and environmental record over the past 2½ years than the nuclear industry has compiled over the past 50 years—a period twenty times as long. New York State regulators and policymakers are ignoring these facts and allowing these systems to be installed in populated neighborhoods.
The filing also addressed negative health impacts of the cathode metals used in lithium-ion BESS (nickel, manganese, and cobalt). In porous soil and shallow aquifers, exposure from battery fire runoff heightens risks due to rapid leaching into groundwater. These metals can contaminate drinking water and crops, leading to bioaccumulation in the food chain.
I prepared the material at the request of the Hauppauge Fire Department due to concerns about a proposed large BESS in their jurisdiction near streams and a high-water table. A lithium-ion battery fire in such a location could produce long-term environmental damage, in addition to immediate threats from heat and toxic gases to nearby people and structures.
Addendum to the Filing
On June 8, I submitted an addendum noting that on May 29, the Suffolk County Water Authority sued the owners of a BESS facility in East Hampton, NY, for contamination of water wells resulting from runoff from a BESS fire on May 31, 2023. The wells were allegedly contaminated in the manner described in my white paper. A different battery chemical is evident, but the mechanism of contamination matches.
The filing includes appendices: a Newsday article, a copy of the lawsuit, and results of a search on publicly available information about the fire.
The EPRI BESS Failure Incident Database contains a record of reported BESS fires. For the East Hampton event, it states that the fire was contained by an internal sprinkler system: “A ‘smoldering battery’ was reported, closing down roads and stopping train service for about an hour until the fire was contained. NextEra reported that an internal sprinkler system contained the fire.”
However, the lawsuit alleges that 2.2 million gallons of water were used to suppress the fire—based on the sprinkler system design and operation for approximately 30 hours, not one. For perspective, a large DOT 117 rail tank car holds 23,600–30,600 gallons. Thus, 2.2 million gallons equals roughly 72–93 such cars and weighs about 18 million pounds.
Conversations with Suffolk County firefighters (who declined to go on record) indicated the fire took many hours to control, not one. The EPRI record appears incomplete. Many fields remain blank after three years, including “Extent of Damage,” “Root Cause,” and “Failed Element.” The database invites corrections via email, highlighting its limitations.
Fighting this fire allegedly contaminated two wells, with concerns about two others. An event potentially affecting 7% of Suffolk County’s water supply lacks a clear, detailed government record. Suffolk County now faces the need for new water sources at significant expense, and residents may experience water pressure issues.
PFAS testing on Long Island detected perfluoropropionic acid (PFPrA) linked to the fire. Similar patterns appeared after the Moss Landing BESS fire, where researchers later found heavy metal markers in waterways months afterward, despite initial claims of minimal contamination. The same leaching mechanisms could affect groundwater in non-coastal settings.
Conclusion
The Suffolk County Water Authority’s federally filed lawsuit provides a documented case of substantial fire suppression water usage and resulting contamination. BESS events require thorough, independent documentation by agencies free from economic or political influence—not solely by owners or local governments.
These systems appear exempt from regulations that apply to other industries, creating complications for New York residents. Environmental damage must be addressed transparently to protect public health and water supplies. Government officials should prioritize constituent safety over managing consequences of energy policy choices.
Richard Ellenbogen, M.E.E., is President of Allied Converters. He has hands-on experience with issues related to New York’s energy policies and has been an early adopter of renewable technologies.
Sources and verification: Suffolk County Water Authority lawsuit (U.S. District Court, Eastern District of NY, filed May 29, 2026); SCWA public statements; Newsday, East Hampton Star, and East End Beacon reporting; EPRI BESS database entry; author’s PSC filings. All core facts (fire date, water volume claims, PFAS detection, and lawsuit) are corroborated by official and mainstream local sources.
This version is ready to publish on your website. It sticks closely to the original while incorporating verified details for accuracy and clarity. Add links to the white paper, PSC filings, lawsuit PDF, and news articles as needed for full transparency. Let me know if you want adjustments, a shorter version, or added elements like images.