Great Neck Gets Over $5M In Grants To Improve Water System

GREAT NECK, NY — Two water districts servicing the Great Neck area have received a combined $5,058,600 in state grants to help pay for water quality improvements.

The state's Environmental Facilities Corporation awarded nearly $640 million in grants Tuesday to water projects across the state. The Water Authority of Great Neck North and the Manhasset Lakeville Water District are among nearly two dozen water districts on Long Island to get funding.

"Modernizing our state's water infrastructure is critical to ensuring every New Yorker has access to clean drinking water," Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement. "Protecting the public health of New Yorkers will always be a top priority for my administration and this funding is a testament to that commitment. We will continue working collaboratively with every level of government to empower localities with the funding they need to improve water quality statewide."

Great Neck North is getting $3 million for an AOP treatment at its Watermill Lane plant. AOP, which stands for advanced oxidation processes, breaks down organic and inorganic pollutants, like pesticides, in wastewater, according to the National Institutes of Health. These pollutants can't always be treated by conventional techniques, which is why advanced oxidation processes are considered a highly competitive and appealing technology for water purification.

The total cost of the project is $17,458,273, according to state documents. The state's funds will cover about 17 percent of it.

Manhasset Lakeville is getting $2,058,600 to help cover the cost of a $3,431,000 project at its IU Willets plant. With the money, crews will remove PFAS — or per- and Polyfluorinated substances — from the area's water supply.

For decades, these man-made chemicals have been used in consumer products to make them non-stick and water-resistant, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

"They are also found in firefighting foams and are applied in many industrial processes," the EPA said. "Unfortunately, the characteristics that make them useful are the reason they persist in the environment and can bioaccumulate, or build up, in our bodies and the bodies of animals."

In all, Long Island municipalities received more than $255 million in grants. The state estimates that the work for the grants will create more than 12,000 jobs across the region.

Basil Seggos, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation called the grants "generational investments" that will help build "more resilient communities that are better prepared to meet the challenges of climate change."

Click here for a full list of awardees and project descriptions.

Patch's Alex Costello contributed to this report.