A water main wish list for 2016

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In comparison to the last six years, 2015 has been a good year for water main replacement in Malverne.

At the beginning of the year, New York American Water stated they would be replacing roughly 8,000 feet of water main in Malverne — a little more than a mile and a half — by year’s end. That amount of water main is more than has been replaced in any one year since New York American Water began a concerted effort to change the mains here in 2009.

The water company reached its 8,000 ft. goal and more. Just last week, village government received a letter from the company, indicating they would be replacing a water main on Wolf Avenue, a street that already had part of its water main replaced in 2013, according to records provided by the water company last year. Work on Wolf Ave. was in progress when the Herald went to take pictures last Wednesday morning.

Great news, yet, based on the reaction of village residents, still so much more needs to be done. When the Herald asked on social media which Malverne blocks still have brown water and need their water mains replaced, residents from these 30 different Malverne blocks spoke up immediately:

1.Slabey Avenue

2.Wagg Avenue

3.Drake Street

4.Webster Street

5.Park Boulevard

6.Johnson Avenue

7.Sterling Place

8.Woodside Avenue

9.Silver Street

10.Ambrose Avenue

11.Church Street

12.Wright Avenue

13.Lawrence Avenue

14.Linmouth Road

15.Hawthorne Place

16.Devon Street

17.Franklin Avenue

18.Foster Avenue

19.Stuart Avenue

20.West Avenue

21.Walker Street

22.Rider Avenue

23.Hawthorne Place

24.Charles Street

25.Gerard Avenue West

26.Crimson Avenue

27.Scarcliffe Drive

28.Park Avenue

29.Wolf Street

30.Hanson Street

“I’ve lived in Malverne for almost 16 years and complained to the Water Co. for two years when I first moved in and got the runaround,” said Jennifer Castellano, who owns a home on the corner of Linmouth Rd. and Park Blvd. “I was told a number of excuses: I needed a new water heater, the pipes in my house needed to be changed, the water main from the street to my house needed to be changed. We spent tons of money doing all that they told us needed to be done, only to still be living with water my children were never able to have bathe in or drink.”

Today, Castellano said that despite the water company meeting at village hall earlier this year, the company is still advising her to run the water out of her water heater. “They’re telling us we should flush the water heater monthly for 20 to 30 minutes, yet we’re not being reimbursed for the water wasted, and the water may be clear for a week, but then were back to the lovely rusty water.”

The water company hasn’t responded to repeated requests from the Herald for updates on its water main replacement in Malverne.