The Plainview Water District and Concerned Citizens of the Plainview Old-Bethpage Community, Inc. will be sponsoring a community information meeting with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and New York State Health Department. The meeting will be held at the Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library Auditorium, 999 Old Country Road on Wednesday, March 15, at 7:30 pm.

The Plainview Board of Commissioners is proud of their record in protecting the quality and quantity of residents' drinking water in the Plainview Water District. Commissioner Kevin Langberg, Chairman, noted "the Board of Commissioners strongly believe in maintaining a continued open dialogue of information with our residents concerning potential environmental issues facing our community." In fact, the Plainview water quality exceeds the requirements of county, state and federal guidelines. To this end, the Plainview Water District maintains constant contact with state legislators and the NYSDEC to insist that the agency take every proactive measure possible to address potentially hazardous waste sites within the community. The NYSDEC is the state agency that has jurisdiction in investigating and cleaning-up hazardous waste sites."

Recent news articles have indicated that the NYSDEC is reopening and expanding its assessment of hazardous waste sites throughout New York State. Several of those sights are in the Plainview Industrial Park (vicinity of Commercial Street and Skyline Drive). Research indicates that many of the hazardous waste spills may have occurred well over 20 years ago. The Plainview Water District said that it has been vigilant over the past eights years on this matter by demanding that the NYSDEC construct additional monitoring wells at strategic depths and locations throughout the Plainview Industrial Park area due to groundwater concerns and the potential impact on district supply wells. Residents can be assured that the Water District is taking every proactive measure within its jurisdiction to protect public health. This includes the installation of wellhead treatment systems at several of their facilities to insure the safety of our drinking water supply." As your commissioners, we are taking all of the necessary steps now to prevent this problem from becoming a crisis," the commissioners stated.

The Board of Commissioners, who all reside in the community, take the community's concerns seriously. Accordingly, the Water District is sponsoring a community information meeting with the NYSDEC and New York State health department to provide information and answer any questions regarding the sites within the community and time frame for completing the new investigation. The New York State health department will provide information related to public health concerns and help to answer any questions.

The Water District is committed to protecting the most precious natural resource and keeping the community informed. If anyone has any questions, please contact Plainview Water District Superintendent Paul Granger at 931-6469.