A federal report reveals a new concern over the safety of Long Island’s drinking water supply.

The USGS report indicates that parts of Long Island have the potential for saltwater intrusion in the drinking water supply. Saltwater intrusion occurs when ocean saltwater leaks into underground freshwater aquifers, which local communities depend on. The report also warns that this may take generations to reverse, and communities such as Long Beach, Great Neck, and Oyster Bay may soon find the water coming out of their taps to be undrinkable.

A graphic illustrating the Process of Saltwater Intrusion
Graphic illustrating the effects of Saltwater intrusion on coastal waters. Source: Public Domain

A recent study by the US Geological Survey demonstrated just how urgent the need is for action. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has issued reports from the Long Island Groundwater Sustainability Project, outlining the potential risk and what to expect if Long Island fails to take action now to secure its water supply.

Causes of Saltwater Intrusion in Long Island

There are many factors that contribute to saltwater intrusion:

  1. Over-pumping of groundwater: As the population on Long Island continues to expand, the higher demand for freshwater means water is pumped out of the aquifers faster than they can naturally recharge. Decades of over-pumping groundwater for homes have caused freshwater levels to decline, allowing saltwater to invade coastal aquifers.
  2. Sea Level Rise: Rising sea levels push seawater further inland, increasing saltwater intrusion. Due to its coastal geographic location, Long Island is particularly prone to an increase in sea levels as a result of climate change.
  3. Urban Development: Paving over natural areas with concrete and asphalt prevents rainwater from recharging the aquifers. Disrupting the balance between fresh and saltwater in the aquifers increases the risk of saltwater intrusion.

How Does It Affect Long Islanders?

Most Long Islanders rely on groundwater for their drinking water. As saltwater seeps into the freshwater aquifers, it can raise salinity levels, making the water undrinkable. The New York Times recently reported that this is already a growing concern in certain areas, with communities facing the reality of having to find alternative solutions (see more below) or water sources.

In addition, saltwater intrusion can potentially disturb local agriculture, many of Long Island’s farms use groundwater for irrigation, by damaging soil health and reducing crop yields. DEC’s sustainability project warns that saltwater intrusion could undermine the region’s agricultural economy. Also, Saltwater intrusion can put freshwater-dependent ecosystems, such as wetlands and forests, at risk. An increase in groundwater salinity can lead to the loss of native plant species and wildlife that rely on these habitats.

Solution: Reverse Osmosis as a Water Treatment Option

At Simply PURE Water Filtration, we can help you remove salt and other contaminants from your water through reverse osmosis, a multi-stage filtration system that can fit underneath your kitchen sink (or even be employed from a whole-home water filtration perspective). Want to learn more? Contact us today to get your free water quality analysis, and find out more about what’s in your water!


Sources:

Rising Tide: The Saltwater Threat to Long Island’s Drinking 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.