By:Jennifer Marino
Suozzi also signed an agreement with the United States Geological Survey to re-implement testing of Nassau County's water supplies, including preserves, wells and natural waterways such as Hempstead Lake and the other tributaries that feed McDonald Pond. In all there will be 450 sites for testing and monitoring.
The USGS will test for saltwater intrusion in the drinking water supplies. It will also monitor the levels of groundwater and stream flows. The group had previously tested Nassau County's waters for 65 years, but due to fiscal constraints, the program was ended in 1999. Since then the county has done its own testing of the water supply, with standards that are different from the USGS.
Suozzi said that various environmental groups had pressured the county to reinstate the testing, and some were in attendance at the press conference, including Friends of the Bay, the Sierra Club and the Long Island Drinking Water Coalition.
"We're very excited about this agreement," said Ward Freeman of the USGS. Freeman said the testing would provide the information needed to best manage the water supply on Long Island. It would also fill a gap in the data collected on water on Long Island.
The return of the testing is a sign that the administration is committed to the environment and that the county is facing better economic times, said Suozzi. The agreement is for two years, at a cost of $100,000 per year, but the county hopes to continue the relationship indefinitely.
"I dare you to find a person who thinks that to preserve our drinking water, it's not money well spent," said Legislator David Denenberg, who chairs the Committee on Planning, Development and Environment.
