Long Island residents are facing a growing concern over the presence of PFAS in their water supply. These chemicals, also known as “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in the environment, have been linked to various health issues, including an increased risk of cancer. Over a million people on Long Island are currently consuming water with PFAS levels exceeding the EPA’s recommended health advisory standards​.

What Are PFAS?

PFAS are a group of man-made chemicals used in various industrial applications and consumer products for their resistance to heat, water, and oil. Common sources of PFAS include firefighting foam, lubricants, and food packaging materials.

How Dangerous Is PFAS?

PFAS aren’t just present; they’re persistent. These chemicals don’t break down easily, accumulating in the environment and our bodies. The health implications are concerning – from elevated cholesterol levels to weakened immune systems, developmental issues in children, and an increased risk of cancers. The hidden nature of these chemicals makes them even more dangerous, as they silently infiltrate our most precious resource – water.

How Safe Is Long Island’s Water?

  • PFAS Contamination in Drinking Water: Citizens Campaign for the Environment highlights that Long Island’s underground aquifer is vulnerable to PFAS contamination. More than 600,000 are exposed to water with PFAS levels above the EPA’s recommended health advisory standards, raising concerns about cancers and fertility problems.
  • Excessive PFAS: Adding to the water quality concerns, WBFO reports that ten water districts on Long Island have excessive amounts of PFOA and PFOS in their drinking water, impacting around 570,000 people. These alarming levels surpass state health regulations, and over 440 facilities are suspected of using these harmful chemicals.

What Can Long Island Residents Do?

  • Stay Informed: Keep abreast of the latest findings and advisories regarding PFAS in your area.
  • Test Your Water: Consider having your household water tested for PFAS, especially if you live near suspected contamination sources. Simply PURE Water Filtration, Inc. offers a basic, free water quality analysis to determine what’s in your water. ¹ (Note: We can do a more extensive test that we can conduct for a fee to detect the presence of PFAS and other serious contaminants.)
  • Use Reverse Osmosis Filtration: Reverse osmosis is a multi-stage filtration system that can be used at the point-of-use (kitchen sink) or at the point-of-entry (cleaning all the water that goes throughout your home). Either way, you’ll be confident in the water coming out of your tap. Contact us for more information at Simply PURE Water Filtration, Inc.

¹ We’re happy to provide a free water quality test in cases where customers purchase a water filtration solution from us.

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What You Should Know About the PFAS Problem in Long Island’s Water

About Simply PURE Water Filtration Services

Living in and serving the Long Island community, we strive to make sure everyone has access to clean, healthy water. We have the experience, knowledge, and industry-leading technology to provide clean water solutions for water impurities, contaminants, hard water, bad tasting/odors, well water, acidity & pH regulations.

Proud members of the WQA (Water Quality Association), and the EWQA (Eastern Water Quality Association), we adhere to strict guidelines and the WQA code of ethics. As a Pentair True Blue Partner and Authorized Distributor of Pentair Products, there’s nothing comparable to the performance, and efficiency of our whole house purification systems, water softeners, neutralizers, whole-house filters, and alkaline reverse osmosis systems for drinking in the convenience of your home.

NSF Water Filtration System
Pentair Water Filtration System

Our products are all NSF / ANSI certified, meeting the highest safety standards and quality performance. Providing our community with only the best experience of high quality water that’s Simply PURE from our family to yours!

Simply PURE utilizes accurate testing methods before and after system installation, as well as annual maintenance of all your water treatment equipment. Our Revolutionary Custom Built Water Treatment systems upon the completion of a Free In-Home Water Analysis, or an in-depth Comprehensive Water Analysis of your choice sent to our Certified Laboratory.

Customers Frequently Ask..

The answer to this question depends on which kind of drinking water you’re talking about. There are multiple agencies responsible for regulating water quality in the U.S., and there are some who are more critical about the way it’s handled.

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in charge of overseeing the water that comes out of your tap. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees and regulates the quality of bottled water.

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Individual states are responsible for regulating water that is bottled and sold within their borders. Finally, your municipality must make sure it is following federal and state standards regarding water quality.

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The EPA does not regulate private wells, and rules for testing differ from state to state. In many cases, it is the homeowner’s responsibility to make sure their well water is safe.

Certain things can affect the flavor, odor, and appearance of your tap water, not all of them are necessarily harmful.

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Many people with public water can taste the chlorine, although the most noticeable problems tend to come from private wells. Contaminants like sulfur can impact the smell, while iron will cause discoloration and staining.

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The overall amount of total dissolved solids (TDS) in your tap water will definitely affect the taste, smell, and appearance. While many of these issues are not serious concerns, they can certainly be a nuisance. Water filtration systems, including a high-efficiency water softener to reduce hardness, can provide solutions.

This process is called “reverse” osmosis because the pressure forces the water to flow in the reverse direction (from the concentrated solution to the dilute solution) to the flow direction (from the dilute to the concentrated) in the process of natural osmosis. RO removes ionized salts, colloids, and organic molecules down to a molecular weight of 100.

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You can get a whole-house RO, but more commonly, a point-of-use RO system would be on your countertop or installed under the sink. They’re great for treating water for cooking and drinking, but they don’t usually produce large amounts of treated water — more like 3 to 10 gallons a day. For that reason, typically people choose to install RO-treated faucets in the most popular areas of the home such as kitchens and bathrooms, as opposed to installing it for every drinking tap. Just like any other kind of filter technology, reverse osmosis systems require regular maintenance. That includes periodically replacing the unit’s prefilters, postfilters, and membrane modules.

Due to the media attention Flint, Michigan, received over its water crisis, a lot of people have questions about lead in public water systems around the U.S.

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Lead (as well as copper) typically enters the public supply by leaching into water from corroded fixtures and outdated plumbing. Homes built before 1986 will likely have plumbing with copper pipes using solder that may contain lead.

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Lead can cause serious negative health effects, especially in children. The challenge is that it is undetectable by human senses. You can check with your local water authority for information about lead levels, but it’s important to note that the CDC and EPA say there’s no level of lead recognized as safe for consumption.

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If you have concerns about the presence of lead in your water, you can have it tested in a state-certified laboratory. You can also read more in our article on lead in drinking water.

Softening hard water can mitigate many of its objectionable effects. Water softening can be done either at point of entry or point of use. One of the unique advantages offered by point-of-use water softening is the opportunity for homemakers to have either hard or soft water for drinking. This choice is not available if the water supply is softened municipally. Hardness minerals can be reduced in water to make it “softer” by using one of three basic means:

  • Chemical softening—lime softening, hot and cold; lime-soda softening
  • Membrane separation softening—Nano filtration
  • Cation exchange softening—inorganic, carbonaceous, or organic base exchangers
  • Softening water for home needs is done almost exclusively through the use of cation exchange.

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Customer Testimonials

"Absolutely amazing service from beginning to end. Trustworthy and reliable to work with. And the water taste!! It’s incredible the difference after we installed our water filtration system throughout our house. Also knowing my kids are drinking the purest of water is the biggest game changer. I would absolutely recommend Vinny and staff."

Randi Demetriou 

"We had a recent installation done by Vinny at Simply PURE and we couldn’t be happier. Vinny is reputable, reliable, efficient and the service is great. The water is so clean and tastes great, we don’t have to think twice about what is coming out of our faucet! Thank you Vinny!

Mike D.