Experts: Long Island drinking water is polluted

North Woodmere resident Teri Schure, a journalist and blogger, has conducted research on water for the past five years and has had her water laboratory-tested, said that a majority of the contaminants found in the water coming out of her faucets are below the legal limits but higher than recommended health guidelines.

“Out of the 20 metals and ions tested in my water, there were nine flags on the report, meaning that almost half of the water results had some issues,” Schure said, adding that 1, 4-Dioxane was one of the contaminants that was flagged and found to be above the legal limits.

That comes as no surprise to Dr. Sarah Meyland, the director of the New York Institute of Technology’s Center for Water Resources Management. Long Island’s drinking water comes from underground aquifers hundreds of feet below the surface.

Many people falsely believe that the sand and soil through which rainwater passes on the way to the aquifers filters out contaminants, Meyland said, when she spoke before the Friends of the Bay in Oyster Bay on Sept. 26, and said the Island’s drinking water is the most contaminated in New York state.

While bacteria, dirt and small solids are filtered, solvents and certain chemicals are not. Perfluorinated compounds, or PFAS, and 1,4 dioxane are among the chemicals that are not, she noted.

1,4 Dioxane is a chlorinated solvent stabilizer, widely used to increase the effectiveness of chemicals in antifreeze, body soap, cosmetics and more.

Its hexagonal atomic structure makes it difficult to break down, so water contaminated with it is hard to treat. It is known to cause cancer in animals, and likely causes cancer in humans. It can affect the kidney, liver, bladder, lungs, colon, nasal cavity and skeletal muscle tissue.

The state’s maximum contaminant level of 1,4 Dioxane is one part per billion, the New York State Drinking Water Quality Council determined nearly a year ago. According to Meyland, at least 82 wells — the properties of 20 different water suppliers — exceed that limit.

Some 185 of the nearly 700 drinking water wells may need treatment for 1,4 Dioxane, she said. Seventy-two percent of wells tested had some of the contaminant.

Treating water for 1,4 dioxane can cost $4 million to $5 million, Meyland said. The state has allocated $350 million to treat wells, but Long Island falls short of needed funding by $482.5 million.

State Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach), who represents the Five Towns, said that he sponsored legislation that is awaiting Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s signature that would eliminate 1,4-Dioxane from household products.

“I helped secure an additional $500 million in this year’s state budget on top of the already $2 billion the state has put forward, which will go toward treating 1,4,-Dioxane in our water districts,” he said. “However, at the approximate rate of $1 million dollars per well this is an expensive and growing problem, and we need to be innovative and more determined in finding solutions.” 

Schure believes that the nearly 40-year-old federal law regulating tap water is “so out of date that scientists believe the water Americans drink can cause serious health risks, but is still deemed legal.” The chlorine and iron levels found in her water are both triple the federal limit as well.

Meyland said regulatory agencies on the state and federal levels have failed to implement strong enough protections. Additionally, she said regional management of groundwater is needed. “The story of Long Island’s drinking water — the bottom line is it’s getting worse,” Meyland said. “Contaminants continue to be identified. Contamination itself is continuing.”