Dix Hills, Glen Cove get $3 million each to eliminate contaminants in the water supply

The state has awarded $3 million apiece to the city of Glen Cove and Dix Hills Water District to clean up contaminants in the water supply.

The Dix Hills Water District will use the money to remove the chemical 1,4-dioxane. The city of Glen Cove will use the funding to remove the refrigeration chemical Freon 22, commonly found in air conditioners.

The Dix Hills Water District will install a treatment system at its Plant 8 that uses hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet lighting to remove the 1,4-dioxane, an industrial solvent found in some household products. The district will also upgrade its filtering system.

In Glen Cove, the city will apply the $3 million to fund a new packed tower aeration system at its water treatment facility off Duck Pond Road. That process is designed to remove the Freon 22. The city has had to shut off water wells in the past after detecting the chemical at unsafe levels. 

The New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation board of directors approved $265 million in financial aid for water infrastructure improvement projects across the state, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office. The funding for Glen Cove and Dix Hills came from the corporation’s Water Infrastructure Improvement program.

"Improving our water infrastructure is essential for building safe and healthy New York communities," Hochul said in a statement. "This financial assistance makes all the difference in being able to provide safe drinking water to New Yorkers, protect our natural resources, and ensure the projects are successful and affordable."

Glen Cove is also using a $3.45 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to pay for the aeration system.

"We need tons of money for our water system," Glen Cove Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck said.

Dennis Kropp, superintendent of the Dix Hills Water District, said the upgrades are expected to begin in the fall of 2025.

"Every day, our dedicated team works diligently to meet and exceed the rigorous standards set forth for water quality," Kropp said.

The Dix Hills Water District is removing 1,4-dioxane, PFOS and PFOA from the district's 17 supply wells. Earlier this year, the town imposed a $120 surcharge to fund clean water projects and authorized a $3 million bond to build and implement the wellhead treatment improvements at Plant 8. Those upgrades will cost $6.1 million in total.

In 2020, the state Department of Health's Public Health and Health Planning Council set maximum contaminant levels of 1 part per billion for 1,4-dioxane. The state also set a standard of 10 parts per trillion each for perfluorooctane sulfonate, or PFOS, that is found in firefighting foams, and perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, that is used in nonstick and stain-resistant products.

PFOS and PFOA are part of the classification of chemicals known as PFAS; 1,4-dioxane is a synthetic industrial solvent that is also found in some household and personal care products, such as laundry detergent. The EPA has deemed 1,4-dioxane as a likely human carcinogen.

The substances are known as "forever chemicals" because they don't break down easily and have been linked to cancers and immune system problems, according to the EPA.