The Bethpage Water District (BWD) is proud to announce that its new Trojan Flex 100 treatment system recently received health department approval to begin operating and remove 1,4-dioxane from the community’s drinking water.This type of Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) technology is the first to be online in the world andis the third AOP system to come online on Long Island—the second in Bethpage. The District’s aggressive pursuit and tireless efforts have enabled them to get treatment systems online ahead of the compliance date established by the State’s regulations on emerging contaminants which is expected to take effect on October 25, 2020.
“The health, safety and overall well-being of our residents is and will always be the motivation behind everything we do,” said BWD Chairman John Sullivan. “We are honored to lead the way on Long Island and be the first water provider in the world to have this specific, state-of-the-art technology that is proven to remove 1,4-dioxane from our drinking water. While we have always met or surpassed all federal, state and local drinking water quality standards, this latest upgrade will improve our community’s drinking water now and for our future generations.”
After receiving initial approval on the District’s first AOP treatment facility at Plant 6 in January 2020, the BWD quickly broke ground on three additional facilities ahead of new maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) regulations,which were officially approved by New York State on July 30, 2020. Plant 5 is the first of the three plant sites to come online using this brand new AOP technology. AOP, when used in tandem with granular activated carbon (GAC), is the only proven treatment method capable of eradicating both 1,4-dioxane, PFOA and PFOS from drinking water.
“It is no secret to us or our residents that the Northrop Grumman Plume has created significant challenges in ensuring our drinking water meets all standards, but it has not stopped us from making the necessary investments to routinely do so,” said BWD Commissioner Theresa Black. “The completion of this latest AOP treatment facility is huge for our community because it now enables us to meet our community’s water demand with a product that is well below the strict guidelines established by the State—even before compliance is required.”
The Bethpage Water District had been working on the design and implementation of its needed AOP plants well before Governor Andrew Cuomo’s July 8, 2019 initial announcement outlining the State Health Department’s proposed regulations for emerging contaminants. While water providers could have up to three years to implement AOP treatment systems for these contaminants once the regulations are in effect, the District’s plan was always to get these systems up and running without any delay.
“If it will improve our community and the quality of our water, as soon as humanly possible is the only timeline we work with,” added BWD Commissioner John Coumatos. “We still have a lot of work to do to right the wrongs of those who polluted our groundwater, but we will never stop working on behalf of our community and the residents of Bethpage.”
For more information, please call the Water District at 516.931.0093 or visit the Bethpage Water District’s website, http://bethpagewater.com.