Environmentalists Want Tougher Standards For New York's Drinking Water

SOURCE:

https://www.wshu.org/post/environmentalists-want-tougher-standards-new-yorks-drinking-water#stream/0

By FRANK GARGANO - MAR 4, 2020

A Long Island environmental group is concerned that stricter drinking water standards that New York health officials plan to adopt aren’t tough enough.  

The Citizens Campaign for the Environment and residents have proposed aggressive restrictions on contaminant levels in drinking water.

The residents live in areas where toxic plumes made up of 1,4-dioxane and PFAS chemicals are found to impact drinking water.  

Adrienne Esposito, who heads the environmental group, says the sooner standards are established, the safer the communities will be.

“The reason that this is so critical in New York is that, literally across New York communities and particularly on Long Island, people are drinking water today that is classified as safe, that in a month from now, will be classified as unsafe.”

The New York State Department of Health has an April deadline to set new standards for drinking water.