Moratorium on New Water Service Connections

Today, the Port Washington Water District announced the recent passage of a moratorium on new service connections—for commercial properties and mixed-use developments—that would ultimately result in an increased demand for water in the District’s service area. This necessary precaution and protective action for existing residents was reached as the District, and water providers across Long Island, await the New York State Health Department’s announcement on the implementation of a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for 1,4-dioxane and other emerging contaminants.

“Our responsibility as the Port Washington community’s water provider is to safeguard our ability to most effectively meet current demand and seamlessly provide water to our residents,” said Port Washington Water District Board of Commissioners Chairman David Brackett. “It is with this in mind, and hours of conversation and deliberation, we have made the decision to put this policy into action.”

The District will not be accepting requests to expand service connections for commercial and mixed use developments and will assess requests for single-family homes on a case by case basis. While the moratorium is in place, the District will continue to work diligently to procure water treatment technologies needed to remove 1,4-dioxane from drinking water and has already initiated a number of pilot programs to test the effectiveness of an Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) system—the most promising treatment for the emerging contaminant. Pilot studies are required at each of the District’s three well sites containing trace detections of 1,4-dioxane given AOP is a new form of water treatment.

“The District supports any regulation that provides added protections to our community’s water quality. The proposed timeline for implementation of the State’s pending MCLs presents an unprecedented challenge in meeting water demands during peak summer months,” said Port Washington Water District Commissioner Peter Meyer. “We will never supply water to our residents that violates an MCL.

“Nothing is more important to us than the quality and integrity of our water,” said Port Washington Water District Commissioner Mindy Germain. “We have and will continue to work proactively, efficiently and with the best interests of our residents in mind to ensure the District is protected against these emerging contaminants for decades to come.”

The District will keep this moratorium in effect until it is able to meet the existing demand in the community and implement necessary treatment technology for emerging contaminants. For any questions please contact the District at 516-767-0171 or by email at info@pwwd.org.