“The Water You Drink”

That was the title of a panel discussion that drew a crowd of 125 people to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock in Manhasset, March 21, 2019. The discussion was far ranging.

Scheduled speakers  Dorian Dale, Suffolk County Director of Sustainability, and New York Institute of Technology associate professor Sarah Meyland discussed funding to support toward water treatment, the need for greater public awareness and education, as well as significant issues threatening our once pristine aquifer.

With one scheduled speaker unable to attend, Port Washington Water District Superintendent Paul Granger pinch hit and  joined the panel. As usual Mr. Granger provided  excellent technical insight and first hand knowledge that clarified some assumptions. Mr. Granger pointed out that while in certain cases, advanced detection technology has been developing rapidly and changed the landscape of the industry,   water districts,  including those non-NSWCA members are diligently working to find answers and to determine best avenues of treatment.

The NSWCA was well represented at the event by Commissioners Larry Zaino (Carle Place WD), Mindy Germain (Port Washington WD), Amanda Field (Plainview WD), Mike Kosinski and Sandy Klein (Roslyn WD).  In addition Ms. Germain’s insightful questions sparked a rousing debate between panel and audience.

The panel was organized by Blank Slate Media and ably moderated by Publisher Steven Blank at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock in Manhasset.

Over 120 attended the event.

Ty Fuller, P.G., Chairman of the Long Island Water Conference addressed a full house of NSWCA water commissioners on pressing issues of the day.

“We all live or work here on Long Island,” Mr. Fuller observed. “We, the professionals who manage, oversee and deliver the water to consumers, need unity, a focused voice that takes into consideration the needs of people across the island and is accurately communicated to the public. We must better share our experience, ideas and scientific data to build support for the common good, whether it involves reaching out to the legislature or to the people in our own districts.”

Mr. Fuller who is also Director of Strategic Initiatives and Lead Hydrogeologist for the Suffolk County Water Authority (Oakdale, NY), covered pressing issues in his presentation to the assembled commissioners. He commented that greater funding from New York State is essential to rectifying the current state of affairs, citing that a portion of the presently allocated $2.5 Billion dollars is earmarked for sewer remediation as opposed to the issues about drinking water. He further noted that funding consideration, including the potential piercing of the mandated tax cap, must be governed by individual district needs, not arbitrary numbers.

Also, Mr. Fuller called for action to change the statute of limitations for polluters of the Long Island water supply. “We must have a real-time clock reset regarding the ability to sue and to hold polluters responsible for the residual problems associated with their deeds and actions.”

NSWCA 1^stVice President William Schuckmann (Commissioner, Hicksville Water District) chaired the meeting in the absence of NSWCA President Michael F. Rich III.  “Mr. Fuller’s remarks were incisive, to the point and meaningful to both our Association and to the wellbeing of Long Island’s consumers. We thank Ty for his views and energetic presentation tour group.”

At a height of 165 feet, West Hempstead Water District (WHWD) has a new water tower that’s just about ready to start providing water to over 8,000 households. The District, which provides an uninterrupted supply of quality drinking water to residents of West Hempstead, and parts of Franklin Square, Garden City South and Cathedral Gardens is witnessing a milestone moment as their 1,000,000-gallon steel ‘bowl’ has been successfully hoisted to the top of the new water tower and locked into place. The eight-hour process began on January 8^th, and concluded that afternoon with the steel ‘bowl’ erected high in the sky overlooking the District and parts of Nassau County. The new and vibrant tower can be seen from miles away.

West Hempstead Water District started to plan for the new tower in 2013 after comprehensive studies and an evaluation of the existing tank’s condition were completed. It was determined that a new tank was the most cost-effective solution as the current tank had reached the end of its useful life. Water tanks designed today are more resilient, easier to maintain and better equipped to optimize water pressure during times of peak demand and fire emergencies. Replacing the Birch Street tank now, with one that meets today’s stringent safety and structural standards, will ensure that District consumers will continue to receive an uninterrupted supply of the highest quality water possible.

“This is quite an event for the District,” commented Chairman of the Board C. John Sparacio. “Our consumers are seeing their bond dollars at work as the tower is now in place. The West Hempstead Water District will have a new landmark tank which will hold 250,000 gallons of water more than the previous tank, which ironically was constructed almost 80 years ago to the day!”

“One of the major benefits of this design is that the tank can go 20 to 25 years without any major maintenance or refurbishing,” added West Hempstead Water District Superintendent Robert P. York. “The previous tank needed maintenance every 10 years. This is an incredible cost savings to our tax payers and this new tank will stand the test of time.”

Once complete and online, this concrete pedestal tank, more commonly known as a composite tank, will be the first of its kind on Long Island.

The Town of Hempstead approved an $8.4 million bond on April 25, 2017 to finance District upgrades including replacing the previous 225-foot-tall tower. The District used $6.9 million of the bonding to construct the new tower. $264,000 was earmarked for the development of a new caustic tank, which will have a 6,000-gallon capacity. The remaining balance of the bond will be used to upgrade security throughout the District with new alarm systems and security cameras. District parking lots will be repaved, and there will be upgrades to District pump stations.

-Gary Cucchi

Industry Expert James Neri Addresses NSWCA With Case History On Pinhole Leaks

Pinhole leaks have been a problem across the nation, and Long Island is no exception to these unfortunate events.  At a recent Nassau Suffolk Water Commissioners’ Association meeting the Association received a case history presentation regarding pinhole leaks, and the remedies used to fix the annoying and potentially costly problems.

Guest speaker James L. Neri, Vice President, H2M Architects & Engineers (Melville, NY) combined in depth background information with real life solutions in a detailed case history.

After extensive research and discussions with industry experts, Mr. Neri noted, “the water supplier had recently added Packed Tower Aeration on 66% of their production capacity and the utilization of post tower pH adjustment, decreased the alkalinity of the finished water. This minimized the passivating layer of calcium oxide, thereby allowing pitting of the piping. The increase in alkalinity help to create a passive layer between the water and the copper piping.”

He further explained that in this case “the persistent problem was addressed with an alkalinity adjustment. Wells with packed tower aeration were modified to maximize alkalinity and in total, seven wells on four sites were modified. Pinhole reports have dropped dramatically.”

NSWCA President and Oyster Bay Water Commissioner Michael F. Rich III. “Pinhole leaks have been a recurring problem across the USA. Several very important takeaways from Mr. Neri’s case history include the recognition that communication is essential to getting a workable solution in place. Even sporadic customer calls should never be underestimated, and active public outreach with homeowners and elected officials can help get to the core of the potential problems faster. We thank Mr. Neri for his very informative presentation.”