Commissioners attend public meeting to inform the community of efforts to treat 1,4-dioxane
HICKSVILLE, NY (April 25, 2019)—The Hicksville Water District (HWD) Board of Commissioners, Nicholas J. Brigandi, William E. Schuckmann and Karl M. Schweitzer, recently attended a meeting of the Hicksville Gardens Civic Association to speak with its members about the most pressing issues facing the water supply. Among the topics of discussion were a status update on the upcoming regulatory compliance for emerging contaminants, including 1,4-dioxane, as well as ongoing upgrades to aging infrastructure throughout the District’s 7.9 square-mile service territory.
“The Hicksville Water District grateful for the opportunity to speak directly to our residents and let them know how we are working proactively to accommodate pending regulations for 1,4-dioxane,” said Nicholas J. Brigandi, Chairman of the Hicksville Water District Board of commissioners. “Meetings such as these are a vital part of our mission as responsible purveyors of water to establish a two-way communication and provide residents an opportunity to ask questions and voice their concerns regarding the water supply.”
Hicksville Water District Commissioner Nicholas J. Brigandi addresses questions from concerned residents of the Hicksville Gardens Civic Association.
In 2016, the District detected elevated levels of 1,4-Dioxane in groundwater resources at one well location. While still well below the New York State MCL for unregulated contaminants, the Hicksville Water District took the proactive measure to take this well out of service, until further discussion is held among regulators to effectively identify an MCL and treatment method through sound science. The District submitted plans to the Nassau County Department of Health to conduct pilot program to test the effectiveness of Advanced Oxidation Processing (AOP) in treating 1,4-dioxane in groundwater in February 2018; these plans are still pending approval.
“Emerging contaminants in local groundwater is the most pressing issue facing local taxpayers,” Commissioner Brigandi continued. “While we work to install costly treatment options for removal of 1,4-dioxane, this contaminant is prevalent in the groundwater supply every day by manufacturing industry processes as well as through common household products. The Hicksville Water District is dedicated to ensuring Hicksville residents are not solely responsible for cleaning up the messes of others.”
In December 2018, the newly created New York State Drinking Water Quality Council submitted its formal recommendation to the New York State Department of Health to regulate emerging contaminant, 1,4-dioxane at 1 part-per-billion (ppb.). Currently, this synthetic compound is unregulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which carries a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) 50 ppb. The Hicksville Water District attends regular meetings of the Gardens Civic Association to ensure residents have an opportunity to ask questions about issues facing the water supply.
For more information on the ‘State of the Water Supply’ in Hicksville, please contact the Hicksville Water District at 516-931-0184.
