Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli presented the Plainview Water District with a certificate to recognize the district's efforts to lead the fight to ban MTBE and protect the drinking water supply from contamination. Over the past several years, MTBE has had a negative impact on water supply systems in other regions of the country, heightening the concerns of Long Island water purveyors. Assemblyman DiNapoli also serves as the chair of the Assembly Committee on the Water Resources Needs of Long Island.

The Plainview Water District has the responsibility to provide drinking water to the 32,000 residents of the Plainview and Old Bethpage area. For the past several years, the Plainview Water District has led the battle to ban the use of MTBE in automotive gasoline that has finally come to pass in New York State in January 2004. MTBE is a gasoline additive, which is non-biodegradable, has a propensity to sink into the aquifer system and is soluble in water. MTBE is a documented threat to the sole-source of drinking water for 3.3 million Long Island residents in addition to water supply sources in all 62 New York counties. More than 130 public water supply wells in Nassau and Suffolk counties have been contaminated with MTBE. Nearly 100 additional public supply wells have been contaminated elsewhere in New York. Supply wells or reservoirs polluted with MTBE can require treatment systems.

"The Plainview Water District is pleased to receive this recognition from Assemblyman DiNapoli," commented Edward Shulroff, chairman of the Plainview Water District Board of Commissioners. Residents can rest assured that my fellow commissioners and I are committed to protecting our precious drinking water supply. We have made tremendous strides over the past few years in convincing state and federal government officials to the negative impact MTBE can have on the environment. We will continue to aggressively monitor the quality of our water and take appropriate measures against all polluters."