By Jeff Szabo, Chief Executive Officer, Suffolk County Water Authority
At the Suffolk County Water Authority, our job is to deliver the highest quality drinking water possible. That means staying ahead of emerging threats to our groundwater and giving our customers the tools they need to understand exactly what’s in their water.
I’m proud to share that we’ve recently made two major strides toward those goals. First, SCWA now complies with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s new federal drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS—six years ahead of the 2031 deadline. And second, we’ve launched a new online tool that gives every SCWA customer a personalized look at their water quality, based on the specific wells that serve their home.
PFAS, often called “forever chemicals,” because of its persistence in the environment and the fact that it doesn't break down easily, have been widely used for decades in everything from non-stick pans to firefighting foam. Unfortunately, they’ve made their way into groundwater across the country—including Long Island. While the federal government recently adopted a 4 parts per trillion (PPT) limit for two of the most concerning compounds, PFOA and PFOS, we have already met that standard at all our treatment facilities.
This did not happen by accident. We have spent years building a treatment program that anticipates regulatory changes, not just reacts to them. In the last year alone, we installed 17 new granular activated carbon treatment systems across our service territory. These advanced filters remove PFAS to non-detectable levels, ensuring the water we supply meets the highest quality standards.
For a region as large and complex as ours, supplying water to 1.2 million people from more than 600 wells, this is a major achievement. We’ve been helped by grant funding, including $16 million from New York State, that allowed us to move quickly while keeping costs down for our customers.
Our responsibility doesn’t end with treating your water. We also want to make sure you can see the results clearly and easily. That’s why we’ve launched a new online water quality tool that provides detailed testing results tailored to your specific address. For years, we’ve published annual water quality reports by distribution areas. While these reports met all legal requirements, they grouped together water quality data from large areas—even though most customers receive water from just a few nearby wells. Our new tool refines that approach, allowing you to view data from the exact wells that serve your home or business.
It’s simple to use. Just visit www.scwa.com/mywaterquality, enter your address, and you’ll get access to real testing data from your local water sources. This is one of the most precise customer-facing water quality tools in the country, and it reflects our ongoing commitment to transparency and trust.
From installing cutting-edge PFAS treatment systems to launching digital tools that make complex data understandable, our mission remains the same: to deliver water you can trust and service you can rely on. We are committed to staying ahead of the curve and giving you peace of mind about the water you drink every day.
If you ever have questions about your water quality or our services, we encourage you to reach out or visit our website. We believe in transparency, accountability and doing everything we can to protect Suffolk County’s most precious resource—our drinking water.