The Plainview Water District held a public information meeting on Tuesday to discuss its efforts to clean up a gasoline spill at the former Mobil station, located at 1101 Old Country Road, that is contaminated with MTBE. The district operates a supply well approximately 450 feet away from the spill.

In order to ensure the continued safety of its drinking water, the Plainview Water District filed litigation against the Exxon Mobil Corporation with the purpose of promoting the polluter to fully clean the spill. Marc Bern of Napoli, Kaiser, Bern & Associates, LLP, the water district's legal counsel, was present at the meeting to answer questions regarding the litigation. Mr. Bern informed residents that the goal of the litigation was to force Exxon Mobil to perform its lawful obligation and clean the spill.

Both the water district and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) representatives assured the approximately 150 residents in attendance that presently no levels of MTBE have been detected in the water district's supply wells. According to NYSDEC representatives, Exxon Mobil is scheduled to provide the NYSDEC with an extensive report on the area surrounding 1101 Old Country Road and complete remediation of the site by the end of November.

"We will keep the community posted of future developments concerning the spill," said Plainview Water District Commissioner Joel Kessler. "Together, we must continue to apply pressure on Exxon Mobil and the Department of Environmental Conservation to follow through and meet their responsibilities to the residents of Plainview and Old Bethpage."

Plainview Water District Superintendent Paul Granger informed residents that the water district is taking preventative measures to ensure their safety. "We authorized the construction of an outpost monitoring well on our property to act as an early warning detection system," said Granger. "We are all on the same team, the water district, the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Health Department. We all want to make sure the spill is cleaned up."

According to Commissioners Edward Shulroff, Kevin Langberg and Kessler, residents wishing to voice their opinions on this situation can sign a petition, located at the Plainview Water District at 10 Manetto Hill Road, urging Exxon Mobil and the DEC to take responsibility or send a letter to the water district, which will then be passed on to both Exxon and the DEC.