NY gives Bethpage, Hicksville water district grants to meet new water standards

New York State has approved $17.5 million in grants for clean water projects in Bethpage and Hicksville, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday.

The Bethpage Water District will get $3 million to install treatment systems to remove nitrate, perchlorate and 1,4-dioxane. The Hicksville Water District was awarded two grants totaling $14.5 million to install advanced oxidation process and granular activated carbon treatment systems to remove 1,4-dioxane, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said that 1,4-dioxane is a “likely human carcinogen” found in groundwater sites throughout the country.

PFOA and PFOS are human-made chemicals considered hazardous  that stay in the body for "long periods of time," according to the EPA.

In a prepared statement Friday, Hicksville Water District chairman William Schuckmann said: “The Hicksville Water District has worked tirelessly to meet and exceed all state and federal drinking water quality standards by rapidly implementing state-of-the-art treatment systems at several of our wells. . . . We thank New York State and Governor Hochul’s administration for this crucial funding." 

New York State made water standards stricter in 2020 to lower the acceptable level of harmful chemicals in drinking water. The new standards have forced water providers to invest in upgrades. The state has offered grants to water providers to cover a portion of construction costs for the improvements. This round of funding was in part funded through the voter-approved Environmental Bond Act of 2022.

"New York is committed to providing communities with the resources needed to upgrade water systems and improve water quality," Hochul said in a news release. "We are continuing our nation-leading clean water investments with $500 million for clean water infrastructure in this year's budget."