In April 2024, the New York Post reported the discovery of 55-gallon steel drums containing toxic chemicals, including trichloroethylene (TCE), buried in a Long Island park. The presence of TCE, a known carcinogen, underscores the ongoing environmental challenges that continue to threaten the public’s health in Long Island.

The steel drums were uncovered by contractors as part of a multi-year plan to clean up Bethpage Community Park, which Northrop Grumman used as a dumping ground for decades, Newsday reported.

Historical Context: Northrop Grumman and the TCE Scandal

Water contamination has been a major concern for Long Island residents for decades. For many years, news sources have pointed to the activities of Northrop Grumman, a major defense contractor that operated a facility in Bethpage, Long Island. Northrop Grumman used TCE as a solvent in its manufacturing processes, which according to the many reports, resulted in significant contamination of the surrounding environment. 

In 2019, the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) conducted an analysis of EPA data, revealing that Long Island had the most contaminated drinking water in New York State. To address groundwater contamination, the New York State finalized an agreement with Northrop Grumman in July 2022 to clean up the toxic Bethpage Plume, a large area of groundwater contamination linked to the company’s operations. While this agreement marked progress, the long term impact of contamination continues to pose health challenges for the local residents.

What Is TCE?

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a chemical compound commonly used as an industrial solvent, particularly for degreasing metal parts. It is classified as a volatile organic compound (VOC) and is recognized as a human carcinogen by health authorities. TCE can contaminate soil and groundwater, making its way into drinking water supplies. Prolonged exposure to TCE has been linked to serious health issues, including liver and kidney damage, neurological effects, and an increased risk of cancer.

Why It Brings Up Bad Memories for Long Islanders

The impact of water contamination has been felt across generations in Long Island. The underlying problem is rooted in Long Island’s reliance on groundwater aquifers for its water supply, unlike other parts of New York that draw from the cleaner waters of the Catskills. This reliance makes Long Island’s water particularly susceptible to pollution from industrial activities, pharmaceuticals, flame retardants, and household solvents, as well as naturally occurring elements like nitrates, arsenic, and radium.

Long Islanders recall the long, often frustrating battle for accountability and remediation. Our community has faced the harsh reality of seeing loved ones suffer from illnesses potentially tied to TCE and other pollutants. These experiences have fostered a deep sense of distrust and anxiety, as residents have grappled with the fear that their water could be making them sick. The recent discovery of the toxic drums serves as a painful reminder of these struggles.

Despite efforts to mitigate the problem, TCE contamination remains a pressing concern in Long Island. Recent data indicates that TCE levels in some areas outside of Bethpage, such as Suffolk County, are up to 18 times higher than the health guidelines set by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). This poses significant health risks to the local population, particularly vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing health conditions.

How You Can Remove TCE from Water

At Simply PURE Water Filtration, we can help you remove TCE 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:
What Is TCE and Why It’s Still a Problem 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.