SCWA Water Quality Engineer Joseph Roccaro gave a presentation on the Authority's Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) treatment system before Governor Cuomo’s newly-established Drinking Water Quality Council, Monday, October 2, during the Council's first meeting at Stony Brook University.
The AOP system, the first to be piloted in New York State, is designed to remove the compound 1,4-dioxane from groundwater. As Roccaro noted in his presentation, the system is expected to remove more than 97% of 1,4-dioxane from groundwater supplies once the system is in operation. SCWA's Engineering department has for years been developing both a small-scale pilot project and a full-scale system that uses Advanced Oxidation Process treatment to remove 1,4-dioxane from groundwater.
"The Suffolk County Water Authority is very proud to be taking a lead role in addressing one of the most pressing emerging contaminant threats on Long Island, the synthetic chemical 1,4-dioxane," SCWA Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey W. Szabo said. "As always, we will take whatever actions are necessary to continue to provide high quality drinking water to all of our customers, and we look forward to receiving final state approval to put the AOP system into operation."
The system is very close to being put into service at the Authority’s Commercial Boulevard pump station in Central Islip, and Monday, Roccaro presentation to Governor Cuomo’s Drinking Water Quality Council demonstrated how the system works. The Water Authority drew praise from NYS’s Deputy Health Commissioner Brad Hutton for being at the forefront of developing technology to treat 1,4 dioxane.
Roccaro also touched on what will be a very important issue not only for SCWA, but most water suppliers on Long island—the financial impact on such suppliers if the Drinking Water Quality Council recommends the establishment of a state maximum contaminant level that would necessitate the construction of such systems in a great number of our pump stations in order to meet a new MCL.
"It will be essential for the council to make recommendations based on scientific conclusions, not public pressure," Szabo added. "And it will be essential that the state keep its promise to provide substantial financial resources to help fund any AOP systems needed as a result of the council’s recommendations."
The Suffolk County Water Authority is an independent public-benefit corporation operating under the authority of the Public Authorities Law of the State of New York. Serving approximately 1.2 million Suffolk County residents, the Authority operates without taxing power on a not-for-profit basis.