Filtration system added to two wells

The Town of Hempstead Department of Water is adding a filtration system to two wells in East Meadow after traces of volatile organic compounds were discovered. The project on Prospect Avenue began last August and will be complete before peak water consumption season this summer, according to the town.

The contaminated wells are not currently being used, and department Commissioner John Reinhardt said that the water was safe to drink, though “indicators are there that it will progress to a problem” if no action is taken. “We’re taking out things you can’t see or smell,” Reinhardt said. “We’re taking out things you don’t even know are there.”

“We can’t afford to lose a well,” added Operations Supervisor John Mark Walter. He said that with water consumption much lower in the winter, only three of the East Meadow Water District’s seven wells are currently being used, but residents need all seven wells to be in working order in the summer.

“Right now we’re only pumping 3 million gallons a day …,” Walter said, “but we’ll be averaging, in the peak season, over 7 millions gallons a day.” Residents use up to 10 million gallons of water on a peak day in the summer.

The filtration system at the Department of Water, on Prospect Avenue, consists of six vessels, each containing 20,000 pounds of carbon. Walter explained that the vessels function like large commercial water filters. Water pumped from the ground will make its way through two vessels before being transferred into either Well 1 or Well 3, where the contaminants were found. Irregularly shaped carbon bits in the vessels will trap contaminates before the water is transported to an above-ground storage unit and ultimately makes its way into homes, schools and businesses.

The Department of Water chose to install six vessels in order to have two on reserve when contaminated carbon is being replaced. “I’m hoping to get over 500 million gallons through two vessels,” said Walter. Reinhardt added that the carbon would last longer if fewer contaminants need to be removed from the water before it is considered clean.

Three other Town of Hempstead water districts — Roosevelt Field, Uniondale and Bowling Green Estates — have identical filtration systems and have effectively corrected similar problems.

The East Meadow Water District was established in 1949, and wells 1 and 3 were drilled in 1951. They are 560 to 580 feet deep and are the deepest wells in East Meadow. Reinhardt said that they were deepened after 1951 in order to reach the cleanest water supply.

The problem’s likely cause

Reinhardt said that the Department of Water is not “pointing fingers,” but there are indications that the Melody Cleaners spill resulted in water contamination. Melody Cleaners, on Hempstead Turnpike and Front Street in East Meadow, was built in the late 1950s, and discharged wastewater into three cesspools via septic tanks on the south side of the building before connecting to the municipal sewer system in 1982. The state Department of Environmental Conservation later learned that a common dry-cleaning and spot-treatment agent — tetrachloroethene, also known as perchloroethylene, or PCE — was harmful to the environment. Soil and groundwater near the dry-cleaner were tested and, in October 2009, an environmental site assessment indicated that the Melody Cleaners property was contaminated.

In 2000, it was determined that PCE, among other chemicals, had seeped into the soil and groundwater via the cesspools before the business was connected to the sewer system. A comprehensive report was completed by the DEC and the state Department of Health and approved by the federal DEC in 2004. Since then, approximately 500 tons of contaminated soil has been removed from the polluted cesspools.

According to the most recent public data, which can be viewed at the East Meadow Public Library, 35 samples were taken on March 25, 2011, and “14 out of 35 [samples] demonstrated levels of chemicals of concern contamination above applicable guidance value; while the balance of 21 [samples] had non-detect or levels below applicable guidance value.”

With the cooperation of the property owners, the cleanup process at Melody Cleaners is continuing. Monthly water samples are analyzed by the town’s Department of Water, and the DEC is still overseeing the effort.

Protect your water supply

“Everybody is doing things that create potential problems,” said Reinhardt. He explained that fertilizer and pesticides commonly seep into the water supply.

“People take water for granted,” he added. “It’s got to be good. It’s got to be clean. It’s got to be reliable.” And water conservation, he said, is essential. “Toilets can leak thousands of gallons a year.”

The Department of Water suggests that residents turn off the water while brushing their teeth or shaving, install water-saving shower heads, limit bathing time, and use the dishwasher and washing machines only when full.

Water conservation kits are available free, and can be picked up at the main office on Prospect Avenue in East Meadow.