Plainview Water District Seeks $25.8M Bond To Treat Carcinogen

PLAINVIEW, NY — A hearing is planned this week on the Plainview Water District's request for a $25.8 million bond to fund what it calls "needed infrastructure projects" to treat an emerging contaminant. The bond hearing will begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Town of Oyster Bay town hall building, te water district wrote in a Facebook post Monday.

Numerous pilot studies have been conducted by Plainview's water authority to look at the best methods for removing 1,4-Dioxane from drinking water. The treatments would be installed at all contaminated wells in its service territory.

"Funding through this bond allows the District to do what is necessary for the long-term protection of our community's water quality," the water district said.

Numerous Long Island water districts have filed lawsuits in recent years accusing companies of deliberately making and selling products containing 1,4-Dioxane to industrial plants and consumers despite knowing it was toxic and would eventually end up in the groundwater. Trace amounts of the contaminant were found in cosmetics, detergents and shampoos, as well as paint-strippers, dyes, greases, varnishes and waxes.

The solvent is a clear liquid with a faint, pleasant odor and easily mixes with water, according to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. It has been found in at least 31 of the 1,689 current or former sites identified by the EPA as having been targeted for long-term federal cleanup efforts.

The contaminant doesn't break down and people can become exposed via residential tap water. Health effects can range from eye and nose irritation to severe kidney and liver damage or even death, depending on how much is ingested and for how long. The International Agency for Research on Cancer identified 1,4-Dioxane as possibly cancer-causing for people, while the federal Environmental Protection Agency classifies the chemical as likely cancer-causing. The federal Department of Health and Human Services, meanwhile, considers it reasonably expected to be a carcinogen.

The Plainview Water District said it has taken some actions to address 1,4-Dioxane. It has piloted "advanced" treatments to remove it, such as through so-called "Advanced Oxidation Processes," or AOP. The process involves introducing an additive such as hydrogen peroxide into raw well water and pumping it through an ultraviolet reactor. The combination of UV rays

and the additive destroy the contaminant.

"AOP is the most promising type of treatment for the removal of 1,4-Dioxane from potable water systems," the Plainview Water District wrote in a fact sheet last month.

The district is also pursuing litigation along with nearly two-dozen other water authorities to hold companies accountable. It has already received some money already to pursue pilot programs and has applied for up to $3 million a year in state funding.

"In total, PWD has been awarded more than five million dollars in grant funding for water treatment projects, which includes treatment pilots for the removal of 1,4-dioxane, but does not include money for ongoing operations, maintenance, testing and upgrades," the district said.