Concerns about water quality remain visible and closely tied to patterns of neglect in communities across Long Island.
In the region, water problems don’t exist in isolation. Flooding, contamination and aging infrastructure are increasingly intersecting, and all of it can be traced back to a single source: the Island’s underground aquifer system. The sole-source system supplies all of the region’s drinking water, leaving little margin for error as environmental pressures intensify.
Neglect beneath the surface
In Uniondale, aging infrastructure, delayed upgrades and a lack of investment are reflected in a deteriorating water tower and broader concerns about environmental health. The tower is known locally as “Old Rusty,” according to Pearl Jacobs, president of the Nostrand Gardens Civic Association, and has stood for more than three decades without proper maintenance. Experts typically recommend inspection, repainting and structural upkeep every seven years, Jacobs said.
“It’s beyond repair,” she said of the tower. “You can see the corrosion. There were reports of leaks. This is not just infrastructure; it’s a health and safety issue.”
Despite years of complaints, advocates like Jacobs say local officials initially proposed only cosmetic fixes, such as applying internal epoxy coatings to stop leaks. It was only after community pressure that roughly $10 million was allocated in 2025 for a new tower. The project is still in its early stages over a year later. The new tower is planned to be fully operational by the summer of 2027.
Residents have reported brown water in their homes, raising concerns about unsafe levels of contaminants. Water quality studies conducted one of Jacobs civic partners, Jeannine Maynard, co-founder of the Greater Uniondale Area Action Coalition and vice president of the Uniondale Community Land Trust indicated elevated levels of 1,4-dioxane, [a synthetic industrial chemical that is often found as a contaminant in water supplies, especially in places with past manufacturing or heavy chemical use], in the system.
Uniondale’s water infrastructure also includes aging pipes, with much of the system’s lead content still unknown. Maps show large portions of Uniondale untested, highlighting gaps in oversight compared with nearby communities. Advocates say these combined issues — brown water, an outdated tower, unknown lead risks and industrial contamination — reflect broader inequities.
A pattern of delays and uncertainty
The water tower is not just a one-off issue but, for many residents, part of a broader pattern of neglect in the Town of Hempstead.
Jacobs pointed to a stark comparison: while Uniondale’s water tower deteriorated, West Hempstead received millions of dollars for a new facility. “They took taxpayer money and invested it elsewhere while our infrastructure was failing,” she said.
Uniondale residents, Jacobs said, have been diagnosed with a variety of cancers. “People start asking questions like, ‘What’s in our water?’”
Residents wonder about the safety of their water because much of the community’s infrastructure has not been fully studied, said Maynard.
An interactive map from the League of Conservation Voters shows that while neighboring Hempstead has many defined lead service lines, most of Uniondale is listed as unknown, raising concerns about potential contamination.
Air studies and local health data suggest higher rates of certain conditions, such as asthma, in the community, which may be linked to environmental exposure. Experts say the lack of detailed pipe inventories and testing reflects “a level of neglect,” leaving residents in the dark about risks.
“When things are ignored for decades, it sends a message,” Maynard said. “The question is: whose communities get prioritized and whose are left waiting?”
She also pointed to growing concern over PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a class of human-made chemicals often referred to as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down easily in the environment or the human body. Used for decades in products designed to resist heat, water and stains — including firefighting foam, nonstick cookware and waterproof materials — PFAS have entered groundwater through industrial processes.
And because Long Island relies on a sole-source aquifer, those contaminants can persist and circulate throughout the region, Maynard said. “These weren’t things people were even looking for,” she said. “So they built up over time.”
She added that PFAS and related contaminants have been detected widely across Long Island. Exposure has been linked in studies to increased risks of cancers, hormone disruption and other long-term health effects, though researchers are still working to understand the full scope.
Rising seas, stronger storms strain water supply
“We have a single-source water supply on Long Island,” Ali FarhadZadeh, an associate professor of civil engineering at Stony Brook University, said. “The water basically comes from the ground — from the aquifer.”
As storms grow more frequent and sea levels rise, that system is under mounting strain. Heavier rainfall is overwhelming drainage systems and saturating the ground, increasing flooding and raising the risk of saltwater intrusion.
“We have saltwater that’s in the sediment, under the ocean on the South Shore,” Ryan Wallace, assistant professor at Adelphi University’s Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences said. “That saltwater could actually make its way to make its way into and mix with the freshwater aquifer, and that’s a lot of different towns.”
While residents are not drinking saltwater, intrusion can render wells unusable and reduce the region’s supply of clean drinking water.
New York state launched a pilot program on March 8 to help residents with private wells testing for PFAS contamination and cover cleanup costs. Suffolk is among the counties expected to be included.
Eligible homeowners can receive free testing and may qualify for rebates of up to $5,000 for filtration systems or $10,000 to connect to public water companies.
“It makes infrastructure like septic systems and pipelines very vulnerable,” FarhadZadeh said of heavy rainfall. “They’re old — they’re not built for the new norm that we have with these storm patterns.”
Low-lying communities — particularly along the South Shore and in eastern Suffolk County — face more frequent flooding and infrastructure stress. Flooding is no longer limited to major storms.
When groundwater is already close to the surface, even routine rainfall can overwhelm drainage systems, creating a direct pathway between surface pollution and the aquifer.
“When it floods, water picks up and carries a lot of pollutants with it,” Robert Hayes, Environmental Advocates NY’s senior director of clean water, said. “Those pollutants might make their way into drinking water sources, whether it’s groundwater or surface water.”
Hayes said that investing in nature-based solutions such as wetlands or rain gardens could help capture water before it carries pollutants.
Aging infrastructure adds to growing risks
Many of Long Island’s water and sewer systems were built decades ago, at a time when both population and climate pressures were lower.
“The aging infrastructure is a big deal,” FarhadZadeh said. “I think it should be taken very seriously.”
Systems not designed to handle today’s volume of stormwater can quickly become overwhelmed, increasing the likelihood of overflows, leaks or system failures.
A $250 million water infrastructure funding package announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul on March 12 includes projects aimed at upgrading aging systems and improving water quality statewide. It includes $23 million for the Village of Hempstead and $5 million for PFAS treatment in Williston Park.
Hayes said that such investments are critical, but risks — and resources — vary across the region.
“Long Island has some of the most polluted drinking water in the state of New York,” he said. “But there is much more contamination still out there, and much more still to be done to make sure that no New Yorker is exposed to harmful levels of contamination when they turn on the tap.”
“Drinking water and quality issues on Long Island — we can consider them to be disproportionately affecting certain communities,” Wallace said. “Especially communities with older infrastructure, in close proximity to industrial zones or historically industrial areas.” Communities like Uniondale and Hempstead Village, which also have fewer resources to address the problem.
Exposure to contaminated drinking water, Wallace said, has been associated with increased risks of cancers including stomach, bladder, kidney, ovarian and prostate.
As flooding increases and infrastructure continues to age, the challenge for Long Island is not just protecting its water supply, but understanding how interconnected pressures are reshaping it from the ground up.
N. Shore water divide highlights cost and quality
Glen Cove’s drinking water meets all state and federal safety standards, according to the city’s 2024 annual water quality report, but maintaining that standard has required years of infrastructure upgrades, careful management of its well system and, at times, reliance on neighboring communities.
In nearby Glen Head and Sea Cliff, water is supplied privately by Liberty Utilities, highlighting differences not only in cost, but in how water systems are maintained and experienced by residents.
Glen Cove relies on a network of six municipal wells, including sites at Duck Pond Road, Nancy Court, Seaman Road and Kelly Street. According to former Councilwoman Marsha Silverman, the system was under significant strain eight years ago , with only two of the six wells operational at the time.
Multiple wells were offline for different reasons — contamination, storm damage, long-term deterioration — forcing the city to act quickly to restore capacity.
“We had purchased a couple hundred thousand dollars’ worth of water from Locust Valley because we couldn’t supply Glen Cove,” Silverman said.
To stabilize the system, the city implemented a multi-year plan that included installing temporary filtration systems at the Duck Pond Road wells to address freon contamination, repairing the Kelly Street well after a lightning strike, and fully rehabilitating the Seaman Road well.
That work is ongoing. In January, the City Council approved more than $700,000 in additional repairs to the Seaman Road well, awarding a $776,000 contract to Philip Ross Industries Inc. to upgrade its granular activated carbon system. The improvements are intended to better regulate PFAS, which have been linked to serious health risks, and ensure that the well remains in compliance with state Department of Health standards.
The investment follows a broader pattern of spending, with the city investing tens of millions of dollars in its water system in recent years, including a $5 million rehabilitation project completed in 2024 at the Seaman Road station. Those upgrades are necessary as state and federal guidelines for contaminants become increasingly strict.
“There was always talk about building a seventh well, because we really need it,” Silverman said.
Cost differences across the North Shore
Despite those infrastructure challenges, Glen Cove’s municipal system remains relatively affordable compared with neighboring communities, because it is publicly operated and not for profit.
Residents’ quarterly bills typically range from $40 to $50 in the winter to a few hundred dollars in the summer, depending on usage.
In contrast, residents of Glen Head and Sea Cliff — served by private systems — often face significantly higher costs, with some paying hundreds of dollars per month. Those systems generally factor operational expenses, infrastructure upgrades and profit into their rate structures, contributing to higher bills.
For Glen Head resident Agatha Nadale, the cost is substantial — about $1,800 per year. Her concerns, however, extend beyond the money.
“I can remember [in the ’70s] we’d fill a pitcher of water in the summer and there were these, like, little squiggly things swimming in the water,” she said. She also recalled a strong chlorine taste, and said those early experiences continue to shape how she uses water today. Nadale said she relies on a whole-house filtration system, and does not drink tap water.
“I have already saved a handful of families from buying homes where Liberty Utilities is,” she said.
While Glen Head’s system has undergone upgrades — including carbon filtration systems designed to remove PFAS and meet stricter standards for water quality — public perception has not always kept pace with those improvements.
Although Glen Cove’s system remains compliant, continued monitoring and investment will be necessary as environmental standards evolve.
That concern extends across Long Island, where all communities rely on the same groundwater source and face challenges not only of contamination and saltwater intrusion, but also of steadily increasing demand.
Looking ahead
Silverman has also raised the possibility of long-term alternatives, including desalination, though no formal plans have been established.
At the federal level, U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi said that water quality has been a longstanding priority.
“This has been a problem for a long time, and I’ve been working on improving our water quality on Long Island for over 30 years,” Suozzi said. “Dealing with aging infrastructure as mayor of Glen Cove, I realized how crucial drinking water projects were to my community. I installed one of the earliest ‘granulated activated carbon’ filtration systems on Long Island.”
“Improvements need to consistently be made to ensure our water remains safe,” he added.
For Glen Cove, the ability to draw from neighboring systems like Locust Valley provides a critical safety net. But it also highlights the importance for the city of maintaining its own infrastructure — particularly its network of wells — as demand continues to grow.
Across the North Shore, the contrast is clear: While water may come from the same aquifer, the cost, management and experience of that water can vary significantly from one community to the next.
And for residents like Nadale, of Glen Head, those differences are not abstract — they shape daily decisions about cost, safety and trust in what comes out of the tap.
