All Long Islanders agree about the need for clean water [“Clean-water funding is crucial in state budget,” Opinion, March 24]. Nitrogen pollution from sewage is causing water quality impairments, fish kills and harmful algal blooms. Contaminants poses a significant threat to our drinking water and health. The good news is that we know how to solve these problems, but we need money.
DEC: Chemical drums buried at Bethpage park are 'no immediate threat to public health' at site
Long Island landscaping firm Affa Organics to pay $100G in settlement over pine barrens destruction
Biden administration announces new safety standards for tap water
New EPA limits on PFAS 'forever chemicals' set stricter standards for Long Island drinking water
EPA imposes first-ever national drinking water limits on toxic PFAS
EPA announces strict federal drinking water standard for PFAS contamination
Highlights
· The final rule announced today by the EPA is stricter than the proposed rule published last year and stricter than the standard adopted by New York State in 2020.
· PFAS, known as “forever chemicals” are harmful substances linked to deadly cancers and other health impacts. They are prevalent in the environment from many sources.
· The federal agency also announced nearly $1 billion in newly available funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help communities comply with the rule.
· Public water suppliers will have five years to comply with the rule if they detect PFAS in their systems.
What to know about the EPA's new limits on "forever chemicals" in drinking water
Great Lakes Plover Protectors Meet With DC Lawmakers
This spring, through our Audubon in the Parks partnership and as NY co-lead for the Healing Our Waters coalition, Audubon hosted three young conservationists from the Great Lakes basin to attend "Great Lakes Day 2024" in Washington D.C., where they were invited to share their stories and passion for the health of the Great Lakes with legislators.
If Patchogue’s bay and river waters appear to be red or pink, here’s why
They’re doing it for the shellfish.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation and U.S. Food and Drug Administration have just announced a joint effort to track the ebb and flow of Patchogue wastewater.
To that end, the agencies will conduct a hydrographic dye study of wastewater from the Village of Patchogue Wastewater Treatment Plant on Hammond St. from March 24 to March 30.
Red dye to be added to Patchogue plant wastewater to see where shellfishing is safe
State officials and the Food and Drug Administration are using a water-tracing dye to track Patchogue's wastewater in order to protect consumers of shellfish harvested in waters off Long Island's South Shore.
On March 25, wastewater from the Patchogue wastewater treatment plant will be treated over a period of 12.5 hours with low concentrations of dye, as part of a study to understand the treated effluent discharging into the Patchogue River and Patchogue Bay.
Senators Stabenow and Peters introduce legislation to extend Great Lakes protections
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Co-Chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, and Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) recently introduced the bipartisan Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2024, which extends this critical program for another five years through 2031, and increases annual funding levels from $475 million in 2026 to $500 million from 2027 through 2031.
Another Voice: New York has much more work to do to protect clean water
Under Gov. Kathy Hochul’s leadership, New York has been a national leader in funding the protection of clean water, but now is not the time to rest on our laurels. Given the massive clean water needs that exist throughout New York, it’s perplexing that the governor proposed to slash clean water funding by 50%, from $500 million down to $250 million, in this year’s budget.
Frontier-era delay at campground
More than 100 Manorville homes complete hookup to public water after some wells show PFAS contamination
'I don't have to worry about filters'
Karen Notaro can now drink water from the faucets of her Manorville home without worry.
Notaro had turned to filters and bottled water because her home’s private well had tested positive for PFAS, chemicals the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said are potentially carcinogenic.
Long Island Unites in Albany: A Robust Call for State Investment and Support
Long Island coalition lobbies state officials in push for funding
North Americans Now Getting Less Exposure to Hidden Carcinogen 1,4-Dioxane after New York Law Creates Industry-Wide Change
NY’s law limiting 1,4-dioxane in personal care products is now in full effect and has created substantial change. In response, Proctor & Gamble has significantly reduced 1,4 Dioxane in their products throughout America and Canada.
More information contact: Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director 631-384-1378 aesposito@citizenscampaign.org
Farmingdale, NY - 1,4-Dioxane is an emerging contaminant of concern found in drinking water throughout the nation. The EPA designates 1,4-dioxane as a likely carcinogen to humans. In 2019,
1,4-dioxane, called the “hidden carcinogen” is lurking in everyday products and has been contaminating drinking water and putting public health at risk for decades. This chemical is a biproduct of manufacturing and therefore is not listed on the label. The public is not aware we are washing our hair, bodies, and clothes with products containing this harmful chemical.
Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE) successfully advocated for a first-in-the-nation law mandating manufacturers remove 1,4-dioxane from products down to trace levels to protect our drinking water and public health. The NY legislation was driven by a CCE report which revealed independent testing results for several common household products, including shampoos, body washes, soaps and detergents. We found that 80% of the products tested contained 1,4-dioxane, some at levels over 10,000 ppb. As of January 1st, 2024, manufacturers are mandated to reduce 1,4-dioxane down to 1,000 ppb or lower for products sold in NY.
The good news is that our latest 1,4-dioxane report, including a new round of independent testing for laundry detergents, shows that NY’s law is working. The better news is that, thanks to the NY law, Proctor & Gamble has confirmed that these reformulated products with greatly reduced 1,4-dioxane levels are being sold throughout North America.
Citizens Campaign for the Environment’s Executive Director, Adrienne Esposito, issued the following statement:
“CCE could not be more thrilled to report that NY’s first-of-its-kind law limiting 1,4-dioxane in household products is a huge success and has spurred manufacturers to reformulate products being sold through North America. Every American and Canadian using Proctor & Gamble products, from Tide or Dreft laundry detergent to Pantene shampoo to Dawn dish soap, is now getting significantly less exposure to this toxic chemical. Thanks to NY’s law, we now have less contamination in our drinking water and less toxic products in our homes throughout North America. If Proctor & Gamble could do it, so should every other manufacturer. The public deserves to finally be rid of the hidden carcinogen.”
Gillibrand introduces bipartisan legislation to extend Great Lakes’ protections
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and members of the Great Lakes Task Force today introduced the bipartisan Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2024, which extends this critical program for another five years through 2031, and increases annual funding levels from $475 million in 2026 to $500 million from 2027 through 2031.