The well is expected to pump up to nearly three million gallons per day to the Bethpage Water districts 33,000 customers. “We have wanted to put a stronger emphasis on exploring new sources of water,” said Bethpage Water District Commissioner William Ellinger. “The long term security and sustainability of our water supply depends on it.”
The new well will be the district's first drilled into the aquifer since the late 1980’s. On a 4-acre parcel of land in Bethpage State Park, the new well is nearly two miles from the districts previous eight wells. The land used for the latest well has been leased to the water district by the State of New York for a term of 99 years. “Working with the state we were able to identify a parcel of land that could be effectively used for our new well”, stated Bethpage Water District Commissioner Gary S. Bretton. “For years we have been forced to spend additional money purifying ground water from existing sources. This new well will allow us to provide water to the community without the need for advanced treatment and guarantee Bethpage’s water safety going into the future.”
Costs of the total project cannot be set because the building which will house the new well has not yet completed design, but preliminary estimates put the price tag at about $3.5 million. Experts agree that distributing the water from the new well is expected to be more cost effective then using treated water from existing wells.
“Ensuring water quality and public health is of course our number one priority, but the number two priority is doing so in the most cost effective way possible.” added Bethpage Water District Commissioner John R. Sullivan. “We owe it to our residents.”
The Bethpage Water District, established in 1923, serves an area of five square miles including the towns of Bethpage, Old Bethpage, Plainview, Farmingdale and Levittown. Residents seeking additional information should contact The Bethpage Water District at (516)931-0093 or visit their website at http://www.bethpagewater.org/Contact.