Access to clean, safe drinking water is essential for every household. Long Island’s 2.8 million residents rely entirely on groundwater aquifers for their drinking water. These aquifers are highly susceptible to surface contamination, including nitrogen and PFAS, making protective measures and filtration systems crucial.

Why Should You Be Concerned About Long Island’s Water Quality

  • Nitrogen Pollution. Nitrogen contamination in Long Island’s drinking water, primarily caused by agricultural fertilizers, cesspools, and wastewater systems, poses health risks and can lead to environmental harm. In addition, The Nature Conservancy discovered that the main cause of harmful algal blooms was nitrogen pollution from untreated sewage—specifically, on-site cesspools and septic systems installed in America’s first suburbs, throughout Long Island.
  • PFAS/PFOAs. PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” don’t break down naturally and can accumulate in the body over time. These chemicals have been linked to health issues such as cancer and liver damage. 
  • Saltwater Intrusion. Saltwater intrusion occurs when ocean saltwater leaks into underground freshwater aquifers, which local communities depend on as their main source of drinking water. The New York Times recently reported that this is already a growing concern in certain areas, which forces the communities to find alternative solutions (see more below) or water sources.

Signs You Have Water Problems in Your Home

  • Unpleasant Taste. If your water tastes unusual—like a penny, swimming pool, or overgrown swamp—there might be contaminants at play. These “flavors” could indicate the presence of chlorine, copper, or decaying organic matter in your water supply.
  • Unpleasant Smell. If your water or sink emits a foul odor, it could be due to water contamination. Sometimes it is difficult to pinpoint the source of the foul odor; it might be coming from your water, sink, pipes, or glassware. However, a water test will help you determine the reason behind the odor.
  • Discoloration. Pure water is slightly blue-tinted; therefore, if you notice any yellow, brown, green, or red hues in your water, then this is a warning sign of water contamination. Discoloration arises from mineral deposits, decaying organic matter, or rust, signaling a potential need for a filtration system to restore water purity and safety.
  • Stains. If your tap water leaves stains on your bathtub, laundry, or sink, it could be because of excess minerals or other contaminants in your tap water. These stains are easy to dismiss because they may not pose health risks, but they are indicators of poor water quality.

What Can You Do If You Notice These Signs? 

To understand exactly what’s in your water, it’s important to have it tested regularly. Many Long Island residents don’t realize the risks lurking in their tap water until it’s too late. Routine testing can identify dangerous contaminants like lead, nitrates, or harmful bacteria. Once you know what’s in your water, you can choose the filtration system that best addresses your needs. 

Simply PURE Water Filtration, Inc. is here to help, offering both free and paid water quality analyses to give you the best information about different contaminants lurking in Long Island water.

And when it comes to actually removing those contaminants, we have cutting-edge reverse osmosis technology. These systems are designed to effectively filter out nasty contaminants, ensuring that your water not only meets but exceeds safety standards. With Simply PURE Water Filtration, Inc., you can trust that your family is drinking clean, safe water right from your tap.

By taking these simple steps, you’ll not only improve your drinking water, but you’ll also make it more convenient, without needing to buy expensive bottled water on an ongoing basis! Follow us for more news on Long Island Water Quality, and don’t forget to request a water quality analysis today.

Sources

  1. Environmental Protection Agency. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and drinking water. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/pfas
  2. U.S. Geological Survey. Saltwater intrusion. U.S. Geological Survey. 
  3. New York State Department of Health. Drinking water quality in New York State.
  4. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan: Factsheet. 
  5. New York Times Article (2024): “Long Island’s Drinking Water at Risk from Saltwater”
  6. U.S. Geological Survey. Water color: The science behind water’s hues.

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How to Know If You Need a Water Filtration System in Long Island

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.