Bill Bier, the newly appointed water district superintendent, is no stranger to the water district - or to South Farmingdale, for that matter. As a 29-year employee of the water district, a lifelong South Farmingdale resident and a former South Farmingdale fire chief, Bier has been involved in protecting the health and welfare of the local community for most of his adult life.

Bier began his career with the water district in 1974, starting as a water plant attendant, where he was involved in general water plant maintenance. He took several water operator courses and was subsequently certified at various operator levels through a licensing process overseen by the Department of Health. As his career progressed, Bier was promoted through the ranks to water servicer, water plant operator and water servicer operator until 1989, when be became water servicer supervisor, a post he held until Jan. 1 of this year when he took over as superintendent, succeeding Al Licci.

"As superintendent, I now have direct responsibility for the day-to-day coordination of water services throughout the district. A major part of my time will be spent ensuring monthly water sampling reports are submitted to the state and county as required by law," Bier said. He will also oversee maintenance of all pumps in service and ensure the district keeps up with emerging technologies for treating water. "Fortunately, there have been no harmful chemicals detected in our water, so no special treatment is currently required," he added.

Looking into the future, Bier has some major goals for the water district.

"Although the quality of our water is extremely good, we still need to be prepared to treat our water for future contaminants that might affect water quality, such as pollution from chemical plants," Bier said. "However, the water monitoring system we have in place now is a highly sophisticated system which checks water quality to a minute level, so there are no immediate concerns."

Another goal for Bier is to increase awareness throughout the district of the importance of water conservation. Although the county already has odd-even water restrictions, Bier believes it is important to educate water users - commercial and residential - about some of the simple steps they can take to help conserve water.

"It's much easier to promote people to the importance of conserving water than to legislate those activities," Bier commented.

The district works with Progressive Marketing Group, Inc., a strategic marketing organization, to disseminate information about water conservation through their website, www.sfwater.com and a semi-annual newsletter. The water district also participates in National Drinking Water Week, an annual event held locally at the Broadway Mall in Hicksville in May of each year.

Bier noted that questions or concerns regarding the district's water supply can be directed to the water district office at 249-3330.

"The office and support staff will be happy to answer questions and help in any way we can," he said.

In addition to his duties as superintendent, Bier remains active in state and county firefighter organizations such as the Nassau County Association and the NYS Fire Chiefs Association.

"It's been an honor to serve the people of South Farmingdale," Bier commented, "and I hope to continue doing so for many years to come."