The Nassau County Legislature has approved the transfer of county-owned land on Sunrise Highway in Massapequa to the Massapequa Water District. This land will be used for a new well to meet the supply needs of the district.

According to Massapequa Water Superintendent Don Farley, the district needs a new well because the other eight wells are nearly 50 years old, which is usually when problems start to occur. "This is really just kind of a contingency. As the other wells start to fail we're going to start rehabilitating the old ones so we're going to be without the services of one well most of the time for the next few years, so we need that supplement," said Farley.

The additional well is made possible presently through the land transfer from the county. The water district is not being charged for this parcel of land, which measures 600 feet by 200 feet. The property is adjacent to the Long Island Rail Road tracks, opposite Forest Avenue.

Farley explained that when they discovered the need for the additional well the Water District petitioned the county for this land, which will house the district's additional well and a pump house.

In order to determine the best possible site for the additional well, the Water District had their consulting engineers, Sidney Bowne Consultants, do a site-survey of all the possible sites they might use. Farley noted that when the consultants went through each of the properties they had to consider many issues, including possible contamination from sites such as Liberty Aircraft.

"The ninth well had been planned for the well field located in the northern portion of the district, and there was concern about what effect additional pumping would have on the pollution plume from Liberty Industrial site in Farmingdale," said Massapequa Water District Chairman, Commissioner Frank Flood.

"The district engineers identified the Sunrise Highway site as the best alternative site to allow the Massapequa Water District to meet the future needs of our residents for drinking water as well as to preserve the purity of the underground aquifer," said Nassau County Legislator Peter Schmitt. "That is when the district contacted my office, and I was pleased to sponsor the legislation to initiate the transfer, and ensuring that it is done at no cost to the district."

Farley noted that the concern for drinking water was not the only consideration in the decision to create a ninth well. "It's to prevent a crisis where one well fails and we can't meet the demand and also we could use another just to make sure that we can make the maximum demands in a fire-flow condition- when you've got a severe fire."

Flood expressed gratitude to Legislator Schmitt for his prompt actions in meeting the requirements of the water district. "When the district needed assistance to meet the needs of our residents, he was right there with the ability to deliver for the people of Massapequa."