We all know politics can be a dirty game where lies, deceit and empty promises run rampant, but the Commissioners of the Bethpage Water District are fed up with our community being taken advantage of for others’ political gain. Facts are being distorted and credit is being taken when it is not deserved.
The Northrop/Grumman Plume is the issue that has tragically defined the Bethpage community. Not only have our environment and our groundwater been impacted, but so has our reputation.
Any politician, or anyone for that matter, who suggests that our drinking water is “poison” is grossly misinformed and irresponsibly creating fear. The Bethpage Water District has done everything in our power to ensure that our drinking water is of the highest quality. It routinely meets all federal, state and local guidelines due to our proactivity and steadfast efforts to invest tens of millions of dollars to construct and operate state-of-the-art treatment systems.Our drinking water is of the highest quality only thanks to the men and women of the Bethpage Water District who work tirelessly every single day to do so.
Unless your name is Rose Walker, Laura Schaefer, Laura Curran, Andrew Cuomo, Thomas Suozzi or Chuck Schumer, anyone claiming to have assisted the Bethpage Water District in our fight against the polluters is disingenuous at best. The fact of the matter is the Bethpage community hasfunded a majority of the necessary capital projects over the years. In fact, Bethpage residents are single handedly spending more than $2.8 million each yearin debt service to pay for plume-related capital improvement projects.
Until our residents are made whole for this disaster that they did not create, please do not give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done. It is insulting; it is infuriating; and it does nothing to solve this decades old problem.
We need every elected official representing the Bethpage community to stop talking and start taking action. This Plume has plagued us for decades and we are sick of the inaction and finger pointing. If you’d actually like to help us, please contact us.
Chairman John Sullivan
Commissioner John Coumatos
Commissioner Theresa Black