Residents Benefit from Having a Voice of Their Precious Natural Resource
Hicksville, NY (April 14, 2021)—The Hicksville Water District (HWD) is solely dedicated to the Hicksville community and works tirelessly, each and every day, to ensure nothing but the highest quality water is delivered to every home and business. The focus of this singular objective comes in the covenant of a special district, one that provides Hicksville residents with the power of oversight and accountability—something that would be lost with the consolidation of water districts into one overarching entity.
“Me and my fellow commissioners serve this District because we care about the quality of the water being delivered to our community, our neighbors and our families,” said HWD Chairman Karl Schweitzer. “And we only got to our positions because the residents of this community voted for us. If residents don’t like the way their water system is being run and managed, they can implement change with their vote. We can be held accountable in this regard. That is the beauty of a special district and part of what is at stake with the flawed policy suggestion of consolidating water districts is realized.”
Since 1921, when residents voted to create the Hicksville Water District and break away from the larger entity serving water to Nassau County, they have maintained a track record of providing water that meets and surpasses all federal, state and local water quality standards. From this time, residents have enjoyed the freedom to elect those in charge of their community’s water source and have benefited from a local, responsive staff that is focused on customer service, unlike large corporate utilities in the gas and electric industry. Furthermore, the abolishment of local districts to authorities means that oversight/management teams are appointed by either the county legislature or local mayors, not by the residents themselves.
Moreover, the specific attention to issues that a special district can provide is immeasurable. For example, over the last three years, the District has been laser focused on the topic of emerging contaminants to ensure treatment systems to remove the contaminants are expedited as quickly as possible. Because of the District’s attention to this matter, they already have two state-of-the-art treatment systems up and running and will have the remaining systems running within two years’ time.
“Overarching, too-big-to-fail utilities are faceless, which all too often leads to the erosion of accountability and responsibility,” added Chairman Schweitzer. “Water is way too important to every aspect of our lives for the residents to lose control over it.”
