Testing Kits in Your Mail Are Not Completely Accurate
The Hicksville Water District (HWD) has received reports from several residents of water testing kits arriving in their mail from a private, locally-based company. Although these mailers say “Hicksville” on the front, the HWD is not a sponsor of theirs and does not support scare tactics in an attempt to sell water unnecessary filters to residents. All water quality testing that is performed by the District is completed by a New York State Health Department-certified laboratory for drinking water. Moreover, home test kits are extremely limited in their scope and can provide inaccurate results due to the minimal amount of water tested.
“To see companies like this try to take advantage of our community is tremendously disappointing,” said HWD Chairman Karl Schweitzer. “The results provided by these tests can be wildly inaccurate and will likely provide unfavorable results to convince residents they need to invest in extremely costly water filtrations systems for their homes. The bottom line is our testing protocols are far more rigorous, comprehensive and state-of-the-art when compared to these home kits.”
The HWD routinely tests its water for more than 170 parameters at treatment facilities designed by engineers and approved by the health department. The District budgets more than $200,000 per year for testing and each round of testing costs over $2,000, all of which are conducted by New York State Health Department Certified Water Plant Operators. The tests conducted by the private companies are not regulated and far from being comprehensive. Therefore, the “free” testing cannot be relied upon for accuracy or for determining the need for any water treatment. All of the water served to HWD residents is in strict compliance with all federal, state and county regulations, allowing the community to rest assured that their water does not contain harmful levels of any contaminants.
Any customers with concerns about their water quality are encouraged to contact the District office at 516-931-0184. For additional information, residents can contact the Nassau County Department of Health at 516-227-9692.
