New York American Water addresses its issues in Lawrence

Two primary representatives from the embattled New York American Water Company addressed residents concerns on water quality and discolored water in the Five Towns, and discussed a conservation plan.

Last summer, NYAW’s conservation rate hike generated more than 400 complaints to State Sen. Todd Kaminsky’s office and compelled multiple levels of government to initiate investigations into the water company, including the federal Government Accountability Office looking into how NYAW uses federal money.

Lynda DiMenna, NYAW’s president and Richard Kern, the vice president of Operations spoke at the March 28 Lawrence Civic Association at the Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department firehouse in Lawrence.

“The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has outlined a goal for all Long Island water suppliers to reduce peak-season water usage by at least 15 percent by 2021,” she said, referring to the conservation plan. “One effective way customers can reduce their water usage is by watering their lawns one less day per week in the summer.”

Summer is the peak-season for water usage on Long Island, DiMenna said, adding that on average, 50 million gallons a water are used per day in July, compared to the 18 million gallons used on an average winter day on Long Island.

Kern addressed the water quality and blamed the discoloration on high levels of iron in the water. “Twelve out of our 20 plants currently have iron removal,” he said. “The iron builds up quickly in the wells and we combat this by injecting chlorine to help remove the iron from the water.” To improve the water quality, the NYAW will flush water mains and hydrants in Cedarhurst, Inwood, Lawrence and Meadowmere Park from April 5 to 18.

One Lawrence resident who declined to give her name, asked Kern if the discolored water is safe to use. “I watch my grandchildren at times and when I do, should I make sure that they don’t drink the water,?” she asked.

Kern ensured the residents that NYAW constantly tests the water to make sure it is safe and he reiterated that just because it’s discolored, it doesn’t mean that it’s unsafe. “I get why we equate clear water with health, I wouldn’t want to drink discolored water either,” Kern said. “But just because the water is clear, it doesn’t mean that it’s completely safe to use. Unfortunately, there could still be unsafe chemicals in clear water.”

Inwood resident Frank Manzo has been dealing with the issue of discolored water since December. “In my near 20 years of living in Inwood, I never have had an issue with the water until recently,” he said. “ I have a newborn baby and my wife and I find it unsettling that we would bathe her in brown-colored water.”

Manzo did say that the discolored water in his home has subsided, but this happened after making a countless amount of phone calls to NYAW. “I feel like there’s a disconnect between NYAW and its customers,” he said. “I had to call the company multiple times just to get them to come down to my street.”

Kern said that he takes the customers complaints of water pressure very seriously. “Customers that call us about water quality generate an email that comes to me and it stabs me in the heart to see them all,” he said. “I understand their frustrations and were working hard to give our customers high-quality water service.”

Have an opinion about New York American Water or water quality in the Five Towns? Send your letter to the editor to jbessen@liherald.com.