Suffolk Water Authority outlines 6-year-plan to remove toxins from drinking water

The Suffolk County Water Authority is looking to ease concerns over its ability to detect and remove potential cancer-causing toxins from Long Island’s drinking water.

News 12 Staff

Sep 23, 2019, 6:43 PM

Updated 1,676 days ago

Share:

The Suffolk County Water Authority is looking to ease concerns over its ability to detect and remove potential cancer-causing toxins from Long Island’s drinking water.
It outlined a six-year action plan to deal with contaminants in the drinking water before the Suffolk County Legislature’s Environmental Committee.
PFOS and PFOA are chemicals used in firefighting foam and other flame-retardant products. It is removed with carbon granulation.
1, 4 dioxane, a byproduct found in personal care products and in industrial solvents, is more difficult to remove from the water and requires brand-new technology called advanced oxidation process, or AOP. New York state was the first in the nation to set a maximum contaminant level at 1 part per billion (ppb).
The Suffolk County Water Authority says it has 31 wells that will need to be treated for 1,4 dioxane, but that number can change.
It’s estimated to cost roughly $75 million just to install the systems. A portion of that money will come from state funding, but the water authority believes it will have to charge customers $100 more a year to pay for the filtration systems.
Water authority officials claim besides the funding, the New York State Department of Health has been too slow to approve permits for the 1, 4 dioxane filtration system.
Environmentalists say the six-year plan is six years too long, but water authority officials say that time is needed to get the funding to install filtration systems in the wells across Suffolk.
The authority hopes to start implementing the removal of the contaminants by early 2020.
 
 
 


More from News 12
2:50
Traffic delays and road closures expected as Irvington set to host President Joe Biden today

Traffic delays and road closures expected as Irvington set to host President Joe Biden today

2:20
Sunny and pleasant today, freeze warnings overnight

Sunny and pleasant today, freeze warnings overnight

1:57
Schools in Westchester County announce early dismissals ahead of President Biden's visit

Schools in Westchester County announce early dismissals ahead of President Biden's visit

1:53
Shop Mother’s Day Gifts – Exclusive Offers Up to 75% OFF!

Shop Mother’s Day Gifts – Exclusive Offers Up to 75% OFF!

0:25
Dramatic video captures car fire in Nanuet

Dramatic video captures car fire in Nanuet

Vote 2024: Ask your questions for Congressional District 16 Democratic candidates

Vote 2024: Ask your questions for Congressional District 16 Democratic candidates

0:24
New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial

New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial

0:24
Breeze Airways expands services from Westchester County Airport

Breeze Airways expands services from Westchester County Airport

1:47
Saddle up for a western-style riding adventure at Hollow Brook Riding Academy!

Saddle up for a western-style riding adventure at Hollow Brook Riding Academy!

0:27
Oklahoma woman pleads guilty in fatal Newburgh drunk driving crash

Oklahoma woman pleads guilty in fatal Newburgh drunk driving crash

0:45
Yonkers officer faces charges in off-duty Bronxville accident

Yonkers officer faces charges in off-duty Bronxville accident

0:21
Dutchess County drivers awarded free cars after completing empowerment program

Dutchess County drivers awarded free cars after completing empowerment program

0:35
20 Hudson Valley public high schools among top 100 in New York state

20 Hudson Valley public high schools among top 100 in New York state

1:09
Headlines: Burglary guilty plea, illegal AR-15 possession, library larceny

Headlines: Burglary guilty plea, illegal AR-15 possession, library larceny

0:17
St. Barnabas High School marks 100 years of education at New Rochelle gala

St. Barnabas High School marks 100 years of education at New Rochelle gala

0:27
Manhattan College and Rockland Community College partnership allows seamless student transfers

Manhattan College and Rockland Community College partnership allows seamless student transfers

0:25
Orangeburg students crowned winners of entrepreneurship competition

Orangeburg students crowned winners of entrepreneurship competition

0:26
Luxury VIP experience coming to Woodbury Common Premium Outlets

Luxury VIP experience coming to Woodbury Common Premium Outlets

0:26
Westchester County DA candidate William Wagstaff secures spot on Democratic primary ballot

Westchester County DA candidate William Wagstaff secures spot on Democratic primary ballot

2:27
How to protect spring plants from frost and freeze

How to protect spring plants from frost and freeze