SOURCE:
https://patch.com/new-york/eastmeadow/spending-bill-includes-millions-improve-east-meadows-water
By Alex Costello, Patch Staff - December 27, 2022
The omnibus spending bill will provide $5 million to help remove 1,4 Dioxane from East Meadow's water supply.
EAST MEADOW, NY — Part of the massive, $1.7 trillion spending bill passed by Congress last week includes millions of dollars to help improve the water quality in East Meadow.
Nearly one third of the money coming to the 4th Congressional District is going to the Town of Hempstead to remove the chemical 1,4 Dioxane from the East Meadow water supply. The town will get $5 million for the project.
1,4 Dioxane was discovered by the town in all of the wells in the East Meadow Water District, which is run by the Town of Hempstead's Water Department. The state Health Department established maximum safe levels for the chemical in 2020, and the town has been working since to remove it from the water supply.
The chemical is used as a solvent in the manufacture of things like cosmetics, detergents and shampoos. Studies are still being done, but ingestion of 1,4 Dioxane is known to cause damage to the liver and kidneys, and has been linked to cancer, according to the CDC.
"The public needs and deserves clean drinking water," said Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment. "The toxic chemical 1,4 Dioxane is not only carcinogenic but is also very difficult and expensive to filter out of drinking water. This substantial federal grant will not only provide clean water, but also keep water affordable by alleviating the financial burden to residents. This is a welcome holiday gift of clean water.”
According to the town, there is only one way to remove 1,4 Dioxane from water. The process blends the water with a low amount of an oxidant, usually hydrogen peroxide, which then goes through an ultraviolet light reactor which destroys the molecules of 1,4 Dioxane.
Once that process is done, the water is piped into granular activated carbon containers to remove any remaining hydrogen peroxide from the water. The water is run through monitoring systems after that to ensure it is safe, and then pumped to customers. The system to do all of that is very expensive.