Senator Ken LaValle and Assemblyman Fred Thiele Call For Immediate Action to Address Public Drinking Water
Long Island, NY - April 9, 2018 - State Senator Ken LaValle and Assemblyman Fred Thiele are calling on the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and the NYS Department of Health to coordinate a regional solution to provide clean drinking water to residents. Their demand is due to the increasing number of contaminants being found in private wells across the East End.
Senator Ken LaValle said, “I have been alerted to additional detections of PFOA and PFOS in locations on the East End of Long Island. At present we know of six areas that are affected. While there is a need for further research concerning causes and determining specific locations affected, it’s essential that clean water sources be provided immediately for those in impacted areas. It’s obvious that it is time to undertake a regional approach to provide clean drinking water for our residents. We should expand the scope of the Long Island Nitrogen Study to include the presence of PFOA/S in their work, and utilize money from the $2.5 billion bond fund that the voters approved for clean water to provide the necessary water infrastructure to service the residents.”
Assemblyman Fred Thiele said, "Eastern Long Island is under siege from water contamination. Nitrogen, emerging chemicals, algal blooms, and more present growing threats to our water. The enactment of a $2.5 billion State Water Quality Improvement Infrastructure Act and the dedication of 20% of the Peconic Bay Region Community Preservation Fund are important examples of actions being taken to reverse this decades-long trend of declining water quality. The next step must be to insure that every person can turn on the tap and expect clean water. Growing numbers of private wells, which still predominate on the East End, are at risk. Senator LaValle and I agree that this is a regional problem that requires a regional solution. The State DEC and State Department of Health must take the lead in working with the Suffolk County Water Authority, Suffolk County, and our local Towns and Villages to develop a comprehensive action plan for the strategic extension of public water infrastructure to parts of our region threatened with contamination. State water quality funds must be devoted to the development and implementation of such a plan."
There have been a series of detections of the chemicals PFOA and PFOS in various private drinking well locations across the East End. State, County, Town and Village officials have been alerted to the situations as they have arisen, and have been involved on a daily basis to monitor the issues. Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA) has been part of the discussions as well. Drinking water provided to residents through the SCWA system has been PFOA/S free due to their stringent testing and processing.
Information concerning PFOA/S according to the Environmental Protection Agency:
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group man-made chemicals that includes PFOA, PFOS, GenX, and many other chemicals. PFAS have been manufactured and used in a variety of industries around the globe, including in the United States since the 1940's. PFOA and PFOS have been the most extensively produced and studied of these chemicals. Both chemicals are very persistent in the environment and in the human body – meaning they don’t break down and they can accumulate over time. There is evidence that exposure to PFAS can lead to adverse human health effects. (https://www.epa.gov/pfas/basic-information-pfas).