The Long Island Clean Water Coalition, formed by a group of some twenty eco-non-profits and environmental research institutions large and small have come together to to address the water quality crisis now facing Long Island. Our groundwater is polluted, and therefore our drinking water is at peril. Because our ground water is polluted, so are our lakes, streams and bays. Algal blooms wiping out habitats in our bays, shellfish beds closed because of all the nitrogenous waste now in our water. This presentation is by Adrienne Esposito of The Citizen's Campaign for The Environment. It powerfully presents the problem we as Long Islanders face, and what we can do to bring Long Island back from the brink of disaster.

1. Threats & Solutions
Adrienne Esposito
Citizens Campaign for the Environment
Long Island’s Drinking
Water

2. Where does LI get our drinking water?
Long Island is a sole-source aquifer region, which means we residents rely on
groundwater for 100% of our drinking water. A clean, healthy aquifer system is vital
to maintaining Long Islanders’ quality of life. Contamination of groundwater from
improper household hazardous waste disposal negatively impacts public health, our
environment and pollutes groundwater supplies.
Glacial Aquifer:
10,000 years old
Magothy Aquifer:
65 million years old
Lloyd Aquifer: 70+
million years old

3. The Suffolk County Comprehensive
Water Management Plan documents an
alarmingly decline in the County’s
drinking and surface waters, from 1987-
2005.
Contaminants include Nitrates, Volatile
Organic
Chemicals, Pesticides, MTBE, Pesticides,
and Pharmaceutical and Personal Care
Products.
Suffolk County Report

4. Increased 200% in Magothy Aquifer
1.14 mg/l to 3.43mg/l
Increased 40% in Upper Glacial Aquifer
3.12 mg/l to 4.34mg/l
A continued increase in Nitrates at the
moderate rate of 40% per 18 years, would
result in nitrate standards exceeding human
health standard of 10 mg/l by the 2050.
Nitrate Contamination

5. High Concentrations of Nitrates in
Groundwater lead to increased
nitrogen levels into our rivers, bays,
estuaries.
Excessive nitrogen leads to toxic
tides, impaired waters, and hypoxia
Nitrate Contamination

6. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), a source of
which are HHW, are being found with increased
frequency in Long Island’s aquifers. VOCs used in the
most common products of HHW were found at high
concentration in the Magothy Aquifer, which is
Nassau County’s main source of drinking water.
Volatile Organic Chemicals-
Household Hazardous Wastes

7. Volatile Organic Chemicals
VOCs used in the most common products of HHW were
found at high concentration in the Magothy
Aquifer, which is main aquifer used for drinking water.
PCE was present in 4x more wells in 2005 than in 1987.
Levels of TCE increased 150%
In 1987, 1 well exceeded drinking water standard of 5
ug/l. In 2005- 9 wells exceeded drinking water
standards.

8. VOC (PCE) were present in 4x more wells than in 1987.
Levels of TCE increased 150%
Volatile Organic Chemicals

9. Long Island Pesticide Use Management Plan: A Decade Overdue
Under development since 1998, the goal
of the plan is to protect Long Island’s sole
source aquifer from pesticide
contamination.
Recently the DEC released a plant to the public
that does not take action to protect drinking
water from pesticides.
In 2000-2001, 834 private and non-community drinking water wells were tested on LI
for the frequency and co-occurrence of pesticides with other pesticides and pesticide
degradates. Results:
• pesticide related compounds were detected in 422 wells (50.6%) of the wells
• more than one pesticide related compound was found in 323 (38.7%) of the
wells
• 5-9 pesticide related compounds were detected in 127 (15.2%) of the wells
• 10 or more pesticide related compounds were detected in 4 (.5%) of the wells

10. Extensive investigations have identified 117 pesticides
in drinking water.
The Top 3 pesticides found in drinking water include:
Imidacloprid
Atrazine
Metalaxyl
Pesticides

11. The NYSDEC documents 117 pesticides in our groundwater. We need to
work to ban the top 3 most detected: Atrazine, Metalaxyl, and Imidacloprid.
Metalaxyl: Detected 1,327 times in 546
locations. Linked to kidney and liver
damage & toxic to birds
Atrazine: Detected 124 times in 51
locations. Banned in European Union in
2004 because of persistent groundwater
contamination.
Imidacloprid: Detected 890 times in 179
locations. Has been found in
concentrations as high as 407 ppb
(Standard 50ppb).

12. Pharmaceutical drug contamination in our
groundwater, rivers, estuaries, and bays is an emerging issue
throughout our state, and our Nation.
41 million Americans drinking water from a source containing trace
amounts of pharmaceutical compounds.
In 2002, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) found trace
amounts of antibiotics, hormones, contraceptives and steroids in 80%
of the water they tested.
Pharmaceuticals

13. Emerging Contaminant: Pharmaceutical Drugs
In 2002, USGS and US Department of the Interior partnered
with the Suffolk County Water Authority to complete a study
on Suffolk County groundwater.
Of 70 samples collected from 61 wells in the upper glacial and
Magothy aquifers, 28 samples contained at least one PhAC
compound.
In 2002, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) found
trace amounts of antibiotics, hormones, contraceptives and
steroids in 80% of the water they tested.
Synthetic steroids, such as estrogens, are known endocrine
disruptors. Trace amounts of these compounds are known to
cause feminization, reproductive problems, and hormone
system disruption in fish.

15. The report analyzed 59 facilities drug
disposal plans. Some of the findings include:
• 51% of the facilities indicated that they flush
their unused and expired controlled
substances.
• 25% of facilities are using a reverse
distributor to properly dispose of controlled
substances.
• 12% of facilities take advantage of the
National Take Back Program.
Suffolk County Report