Letters

Featured Letter: Clean water legislation is vital

The water bill is designed to clean groundwater and prevent pollution and harmful algal blooms in the bays and Long Island Sound. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder)
The water bill is designed to clean groundwater and prevent pollution and harmful algal blooms in the bays and Long Island Sound. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder)

To the editor:

On behalf of the Suffolk County Water Authority, I’m writing to support New York State Assembly Bill 9788 establishing the Long Island Water Quality Control Act. This legislation will bring vital safeguards for Long Island’s groundwater resources, the sole source of drinking water for all Long Island residents. 

If enacted, this legislation will have a real and lasting impact on improving groundwater quality as it includes specific requirements for the reduction of nitrogen and contamination stemming from the use of pesticides, herbicides and household hazardous wastes. We’re also pleased to see that the legislation codifies a Long Island Commission on Aquifer Protection (LICAP), a bi-county commission we championed last year to address various groundwater protection issues and to advocate for a coordinated, regional approach to groundwater resources management.

Keeping contaminants from reaching our precious underground water supply is not only the right thing to do for our environment but also for our economy; treating contaminated groundwater is extremely expensive. The best way to ensure we can keep water rates low in the coming decades is to keep contaminants from polluting our aquifers. For these reasons we are proud to support this legislation and encourage Long Islanders to support it as well.

Jeffrey Szabo, Oakdale
CEO, Suffolk County Water Authority