What's next for public water?

On Jan. 25, it was announced that the Town of Hempstead had appointed John Reinhardt, Laura Ryder and Joseph Baker commissioners of the South Nassau Water Authority District Board. The decision brings South Shore residents who receive water from Liberty Utilities, previously know as New York American Water, one step closer to the creation of a public water authority, and with that, relief from high water rates.

On Nov. 3, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the South Nassau Water Authority Act into law, providing a path for the public acquisition of the privately owned NYAW, which served approximately 113,000 residents of the Town of Hempstead. The utility is now controlled by Liberty Utilities, whose $608 million purchase of NYAW was finalized on Jan. 3.

The town was required to appoint three people to the SNWA board. The other two board members must be appointed by the Nassau County Legislature. The deadline for those appointments was Tuesday, as the Herald went to press.

Christopher Boyle, a spokesman for the county, said Monday that County Executive Bruce Blakeman was “looking at many qualified candidates and is expected to make a decision soon.”

The fight for public water has been a long one, and Long Island residents on both the north and south shores have received water from NYAW for years. Compared with other Town of Hempstead residents, NYAW customers pay up to 1,300 percent more for water, according to Dave Denenberg, a Merrick resident and a co-director of the advocacy group Long Island Clean Air Water and Soil.

With the creation of an independent North Shore Water Authority, the state government will provide $1 million in annual funding for costs associated with its establishment and operations. The NSWA will serve approximately 5,000 former NYAW customers.

On the South Shore, however, where there are over 110,000 former NYAW customers, the authority will receive no state funding, according to the Nov. 3 bill, which was approved by Hochul and the State Legislature. According to town officials, this is unacceptable.

“Tens of thousands of residents in my councilmanic district and in other communities served by New York American Water have been unfairly ripped off for years by paying outrageous rates for subpar service,” Town Councilman Chris Carini said. 

“As we move the process forward, we think that it’s disheartening that the residents of America’s largest township are being treated so disproportionately by our representatives in Albany,” Town Supervisor Don Clavin added. “It’s time our Albany representatives provide equity to the residents of America’s largest township.”

At a meeting hosted by LICAWS at the Merrick Road Golf Course Clubhouse on Jan. 26, Denenberg agreed that the town deserves adequate funding. “No money was allocated for the South Nassau Water Authority — we are asking for the state to come up with at least $25 to $30 million, if not more, to assist with a public takeover of Liberty,” Denenberg said at the meeting. “We need to push the state to give as much money to the South Nassau Water Authority as possible.”

Denenberg added that state funding for the SNWA might be contingent on the town and Nassau County seeing the public acquisition through. In order for this to happen, the county must appoint its commissioners.

“It is so important that the other two appointees get appointed soon,” LICAWS Co-director Claudia Borecky said at the meeting. “They have within 30 days to do something once Feb. 1 hits — we’re holding them onto this good-faith agreement.”

The acquisition agreement stipulates that residents who were served by NYAW will have to pay for the assets the public entity will own. According to Denenberg, that is another problem.

“The problem I have with that is we already have paid for everything that NYAW owns,” he said. “We paid for all improvements, we paid for all land acquisitions —we own the system. That, to me, is a big contention in the takeover, and you want very aggressive commissioners who are going to have very aggressive negotiations.”

Denenberg added that residents are “closer than ever” to a public takeover of Liberty Utilities, but added, “We’re not there yet.”

“We have the state law to get this done,” he said. “We need to push the state to give as much money to the South Nassau Water Authority as possible, and we would urge everyone, contact your legislators to make sure the Nassau County Legislature appoints their two people.”