By Marley Seaman
Water deemed unsafe in West Hempstead, Franklin Square
Tap water in West Hempstead, Cathedral Gardens, and parts of Franklin
Square and Garden City was deemed contaminated by a banned gasoline additive
Monday night. The water district said Wednesday afternoon that the water was
drinkable again.
Between Monday and Wednesday, residents were advised not to drink the
water, or use it for cooking, making ice or brushing their teeth, after the
West Hempstead-Hempstead Gardens Water District announced on June 26 that
tests showed methyl tert-butyle ether (MTBE) at levels greater than those
allowed by New York State law. The contamination was found in the supply
wells of the Birch Street Plant, which was temporarily closed down. The
wells that were contaminated had not been re-opened at press time.
The samples that showed contamination were taken on June 23 from two
locations on Hempstead Avenue. The water supply is tested every month,
according to a Department of Health spokesperson, and tests in May did not
show a problem.
The June tests showed MTBE concentrations of 14 and 13 micrograms
(.0000014 grams) per liter, levels the district said were not an immediate
threat. Tests of the supply wells themselves showed higher concentrations,
including a result of 156 micrograms per liter. The maximum allowed level of
MTBE, once used to increase the octane of gasoline, is 10 micrograms per
liter.
Water was being routed from Garden City to meet the demands of the
communities affected by the contamination. Despite the closing of the
facility where the contamination was discovered, the water district issued
the warnings because the source of the MTBE is unknown. An investigation to
find that source is continuing. Residents were also advised to use as little
as possible while bathing or cleaning, and to turn on kitchen or bathroom
exhaust fans so they do not inhale airborne MTBE.
The Web site of the Environmental Protection Agency says research
indicates that MTBE is a carcinogen when ingested in high doses, but that it
is less clear whether the substance is a threat at lower levels. Some people
may detect a turpentine-like taste or odor from their water if MTBE is
present in concentrations of 20 to 40 micrograms per liter or higher.
However, at lower levels, such as those found in water supply during the
June 23 tests, it may not be detectable. Even at 40 micrograms per liter,
the EPA site says MTBE is not an immediate health hazard.
New York State banned MTBE on Jan. 1, 2004, and it was not immediately
clear how the chemical got into local water supply. The Nassau County Health
Department said it is investigating the issue. Health Department spokeswoman
Cynthia Brown suggested a gasoline spill was the most likely culprit.
"It could have been a spill that's years old," she said. "They are
investigating the possible cause... so they can address the situation of
what it is, what caused the contamination."
Brown added that the spill did not necessarily occur in or near West
Hempstead.
The Birch Street Plant was taken offline Monday and "flushed." Operations
resumed after two consecutive water samples are found to meet the state MTBE
limits. The district hoped that task would be completed on Tuesday, but
samples taken that day still showed MTBE concentrations above 10 micrograms
per liter. Testing was completed on Wednesday, and the water district
distributed a flyer to local businesses community advising them of the
change.
Cathedral Gardens Civic Association President Scott Jablow said the water
district was doing a good job dealing with the situation.
"It wasn't a life-threatening or health-threatening emergency," he said.
Jablow said that other residents were upset that the district did not
immediately notify them of the problem. While he agreed that a better
notification system needs to be created, perhaps involving e-mail, he said
that a door-to-door notification would have caused "mass hysteria."
The water district's advisory (online at http://www.westhempsteadh2o.com)
is dated 10 p.m. on Monday, June 26; the community did not learn about the
MTBE until the following day. Brown said the district confirmed the problem
late Monday afternoon after testing the water several times.
"Once it was determined there was a problem and that there would have to
be public notice, it took time to marshal the forces and plan what they were
going to do," she said.
However, one West Hempstead man said that the district might have known
of the problem before 2 p.m. that afternoon, because he saw a water
department employee emptying a fire hydrant on his block at that time.
"It was two o'clock [when] they started flushing the fire hydrant right
by my house," said Coolidge Street resident Scott Snyder. "There are at
least 15 people on my block who saw it."
According to Snyder, the employee told Coolidge Street residents he was
"flushing the system" by letting water run out of the hydrant, and said
nothing about a larger problem. He then placed a yellow traffic cone by the
hydrant and drove away in a water department truck.
If the district knew of the problem at that hour, Snyder said, the public
could have received notice on Monday instead of Tuesday.
Comments about this story? Mal-wheditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext.
205.
