Residents of Western Nassau County, including Elmont, Franklin Square, and parts of Garden City, rely on the Water Authority of Western Nassau County (WAWNC) for their drinking water. The 2024 Annual Water Quality Report (AWQR) released by WAWNC assures the public that the water met all federal and state maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for the year. Yet, a closer look reveals a far more troubling picture, one where toxic chemicals persist, health risks linger, and political oversight remains weak.
PFAS and 1,4-Dioxane, Compliant, Yet Concerning
The most striking concern in WAWNC’s 2024 report is the detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals.” PFOA levels reached 4.99 parts per trillion (ppt) and PFOS 3.12 ppt, both approaching or surpassing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) newly finalized enforceable limit of 4 ppt for each chemical (EPA, 2024). Several other PFAS compounds, including PFHxS and PFBA, also appeared in measurable amounts.
These compounds are linked to a host of health effects, including immunotoxicity, reduced birth weights, thyroid disruption, and cancers of the kidney and testicles (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry [ATSDR], 2021). While technically “in compliance” with New York’s limits, the readings suggest significant risk for long-term exposure, especially in vulnerable populations like children and pregnant women.
Similarly alarming is the presence of 1,4-dioxane, a probable human carcinogen, in finished water at levels up to 0.37 micrograms per liter (µg/L). Although under New York’s legal limit of 1 µg/L, this level exceeds the EPA’s 10⁻⁶ cancer risk concentration of 0.35 µg/L (EPA, 2017). WAWNC is currently building Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) treatment systems to address this contaminant, but many are not projected for completion until late 2025.
Radioactivity, Nitrates, and Heavy Metals
The report also notes elevated levels of other contaminants. Combined Radium-226 and Radium-228 reached 3.44 picocuries per liter (pCi/L), or nearly 70% of the federal limit of 5 pCi/L. Chronic ingestion of radioactive elements has been associated with increased bone cancer risks (National Research Council, 2005).
Nitrate levels reached 6 milligrams per liter (mg/L), well below the 10 mg/L limit but high enough to warrant concern for infants, who are susceptible to methemoglobinemia, or “blue baby syndrome” (CDC, 2020). Iron levels, while not a health hazard, exceeded the aesthetic limit of 300 µg/L, leading to potential issues with taste, staining, and microbial growth.
Mercury and lead were also detected in trace amounts, below regulatory thresholds, but indicative of aging infrastructure and historical contamination. Their presence reflects deeper systemic problems with water delivery and pipe corrosion.
Groundwater Strain and Climate Vulnerability
WAWNC pumped an average of 11 million gallons per day in 2024, with peak demands nearing 18 million gallons. This heavy reliance on the Magothy and Lloyd aquifers, already under stress from neighboring districts, raises concerns about sustainability and saltwater intrusion in the face of sea-level rise (NYS DEC, 2023). Treatment for PFAS and 1,4-dioxane also requires significant energy inputs, increasing the system’s carbon footprint.
Monopoly Control and the Oversight Gap
Despite being a publicly owned utility, WAWNC operates with minimal external oversight. Unlike investor-owned water providers such as Liberty Water, it is not regulated by the New York State Public Service Commission. Instead, its board, composed of nine politically appointed, unpaid members, is accountable only to the municipalities that select them.
This structure creates a self-policing system. WAWNC reports its own water quality data to the Nassau County Department of Health and publicizes only limited meeting documentation. Meetings are not streamed online, and residents have little say in rate changes or capital investment timelines.
This matters, especially when WAWNC raised rates by 1.66% in June 2024, despite unresolved contamination and slow infrastructure upgrades. The cost for residential consumers now exceeds $640 per 100,000 gallons, making it one of the most expensive water providers in the region (WAWNC, 2024).
Disproportionate Impacts on Marginalized Communities
Many of the neighborhoods served by WAWNC, Elmont, South Floral Park, North Valley Stream, are home to working-class, immigrant, and predominantly Black and Latino residents. These communities are already overburdened by environmental injustices such as air pollution, poor housing quality, and limited access to healthcare.
To ask these families to shoulder the financial burden of water contaminated with PFAS, radium, and 1,4-dioxane, while awaiting delayed treatment projects, is an unjust cost shift. It reflects a broader national pattern where marginalized populations pay more for services that still fall short of safety.
What Needs to Change
WAWNC’s data shows compliance with outdated standards, but not necessarily safety. The community should not have to wait for chronic illness or another Flint-style disaster to demand change. Immediate actions include,
- Fast-tracking the PFAS and 1,4-dioxane treatment systems
- Releasing raw water testing data online within 30 days of collection
- Forming a community advisory board with real input on infrastructure decisions
- Accelerating lead service line replacement using federal infrastructure funds
- Commissioning independent studies on aquifer sustainability under climate stress
Residents can also act by using NSF-certified water filters, demanding monthly updates on construction progress, and filing FOIL requests for design and treatment plant data.
Food for thought 💭
The 2024 WAWNC report may check the legal boxes, but the water it describes is laced with warning signs. In a region with soaring housing costs, limited environmental protections, and racially skewed infrastructure burdens, clean and safe water must be more than a legal minimum. It must be a public right, transparent, equitable, and truly safe.
Citations:
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Toxicological Profile for Perfluoroalkyls. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2021.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Nitrate and Drinking Water from Private Wells.” CDC.gov, 2020.
- Environmental Protection Agency. Technical Fact Sheet, 1,4-Dioxane. EPA 505-F-17-011, 2017.
- Environmental Protection Agency. PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation Rulemaking. March 2023.
- National Research Council. Health Risks from Exposure to Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation, BEIR VII – Phase 2.National Academies Press, 2005.
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Long Island Groundwater Sustainability Study. NYS DEC, 2023.
- Water Authority of Western Nassau County. 2024 Annual Water Quality Report.www.wawnc.org/cm/downloads/WAWNC_AWQR_2024.pdf.
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