Nassau County Executive Laura Curran was recently joined by Nassau County Legislator Arnold Drucker and members of the Plainview, Bethpage, Hicksville, Massapequa, and Roslyn Water Districts to announce that grant funding in the amount of $1.5 million is being made available to assist water districts in providing potable drinking water to their customers free of contamination from emerging contaminants such as 1,4 Dioxane and PFO/PFOA’s (perfluorooctanoic acid). The water suppliers are tasked with constructing expensive water treatment facilities to meet federal, state, and local drinking water standards specific to removing these emerging contaminants.
Grants in the amount of up to $50,000 will be made available to water suppliers in Nassau County to assist with costs associated with treatment and removal of contaminants. These tasks could include, but not be limited to:
• Administration and oversight of distribution of grant funds to ensure compliance with ARP/US Treasury guidelines
• Study, planning/design of emerging contamination occurring within the water district
• Purchase of equipment, materials and supplies to advance the removal of emerging contamination from the water supply of the district
• Installation of equipment to advance removal of emerging contamination from the water supply
• Purchase of support equipment such as Information Technology (IT) related to systems integral to treatment process within the district’s distribution system
• Development of operations manuals/guidelines/materials for use by water supplier personnel specifically pointed to the removal of emerging contamination
• Maintenance activities of systems already on-line and removing emerging contamination. Such activities could include the removal of spent materials used in the treatment of contamination, or the purchase of new materials to be used in the treatment process, such as Activated Carbon.
• Defray the cost of laboratory testing for emerging contaminants
“Nassau County is committed to providing communities with the resources they need to make critical upgrades to their water systems. By assisting water districts with these important infrastructure improvements, we will ensure cleaner water for residents while preventing costs from being passed onto ratepayers,” Curran said.
Nassau Suffolk Water Commissioners’ Association President Amanda Field added, “On behalf of the Nassau Suffolk Water Commissioners’ Association, we express our gratitude to the county for allocating funds from the American Rescue Plan towards emerging contaminants and water conservation. Every dollar counts towards offsetting the cost of designing and constructing treatment systems. As Water Commissioners representing 21 voter-elected districts serving 620,000 consumers, we have a fiduciary responsibility to protect our residents while delivering the highest quality water at the lowest possible rate. This grant program will greatly assist with that mission. We look forward to continuing to work collectively with the county to address any emerging issues and challenges.”
Long Island Water Conference Chairman Andrew Bader said that the conference is proud to partner with the county in providing support for a more sustainable environment.
“We appreciate the County’s allocation of these funds to help us fight our battle against emerging contaminants and applaud their recognition and dedication to assisting Nassau County residents reduce their overall water use,” he said.
Nassau County Legislator Arnold W. Drucker added, “Today’s announcement is yet another example of how Nassau County is wisely leveraging its American Rescue Plan funding to deliver long-term benefits for residents. I commend County Executive Curran for supporting a vital initiative that will go a long way toward ensuring that every Nassau family continues to enjoy unfettered access to safe, pure and affordable drinking water.”
—Submitted by the office of Nassau County Executive Laura Curran
