The Manhasset-Lakeville Water District joined eight other NSWCA member districts by filing a lawsuit against chemical manufacturers for the emerging contaminant 1,4 dioxane pollution in drinking water wells.

Separate lawsuits filed by legal firm Sher Edling LLP (San Francisco, California) include eight NSWCA member districts*, as well as the Water Authority of Great Neck North, and cite negligence, defective design and failure to warn about dangers, among other things.

Michael F. Rich III President of NSWCA stated, “the lawsuits represent a step in the right direction in addressing questions regarding groundwater on Long Island. They not only shed light on 1,4 dioxane, but also draw attention to the potential for other emerging contaminants and properly assign responsibility with the manufacturers and polluters of the water supply. Why should Long Island residents be forced to pay for 1,4 dioxane treatment and clean up when they are the victims? The answer is they should not, and these actions put the potentially huge costs for cleanup and remediation squarely on the shoulders of those who created the situation in the first place.”

* (Albertson Water District, Carle Place Water District, Garden City Park Water District, Jericho Water District, Oyster Bay Water District, Port Washington Water District, Roslyn Water District, West Hempstead Water District)