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Greenlawn Water District

A scene from the 37th annual drinking water tasting contest at Farmingdale State College.

To celebrate National Drinking Water Week, the Long Island Water Conference (LIWC) hosted its 37th annual drinking water tasting contest at Farmingdale State College from Tuesday, May 7 to Wednesday, May 8. Sixteen water providers from across Long Island competed for the title of best drinking water in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, respectively. This year’s winners were the Greenlawn Water District (GWD) for Suffolk County and the Oyster Bay Water District (OBWD) for Nassau County.

“Our annual Drinking Water Tasting Contest is always a highlight of the year for us, serving as a fun, unique way for us to connect with members of our community,” said LIWC Chairman Robert McEvoy. “We love being able to educate students and faculty on everything that goes into delivering them with high-quality drinking water every single day. We hope that all of our participants enjoyed the experience as much as we did and that they learned a thing or two about their tap water.”

A scene from the 37th annual drinking water tasting contest at Farmingdale State College.

“It is a privilege to be selected as Suffolk County’s best-tasting water in this year’s contest,” said GWD Chairman James Logan. “We take pride in our ability to serve our residents the best water available on a daily basis, and to be honored on a County-wide scale shows that people from outside our District appreciate our efforts as well. We’ll make sure that the trophy has a safe home for the next year and we’re looking forward to being repeat champions in 2026!”

Over 320 participants cast their votes for what they believed was the best-tasting water and received exciting giveaways. LIWC representatives also provided important knowledge to attendees on the water delivered to the homes and answered questions regarding the treatment methods that ensure Long Island’s high-quality drinking water remains of the highest quality.

For emerging as the victors with the best-tasting drinking water, the Oyster Bay and Greenlawn water districts will possess the coveted trophy for a year and win bragging rights among their fellow providers. They will also participate and represent Long Island in the New York State Regional Metro Tap Water Taste Contest held in New York City this August, with a chance to win entry for the statewide contest held at the Great New York State Fair.

About the Long Island Water Conference

Since 1951, the LIWC has dedicated themselves to providing and ensuring a pure and plentiful water supply for the Long Island community. Representing over 50 regional water suppliers, the LIWC is committed to providing and maintaining a reliable and safe water supply today, while anticipating the water concerns of future generations. LIWC members provide more than 375 million gallons of clean water each day. For more information, please visit www.liwc.org.

Assemblyman Keith Brown (R,C-Northport) congratulates Board of Greenlawn Water District on receiving grant funding through the NYS Water Infrastructure Improvement Act (WIIA) on Jan. 10, 2024.

Assemblyman Keith Brown’s (R,C-Northport) office attended a ceremony on Wednesday, Jan. 10, to help congratulate the Board of Greenlawn Water District on being awarded a $1.4 million grant through the NYS Water Infrastructure Improvement Act (WIIA) to complete Drinking Water (DW) Project No. 19713, which will include wellhead treatment for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at Well No. 6.

Through the WIIA grant, the board has been awarded $1,392,300, including total estimated eligible project costs. The Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) will determine the actual amount of the grant when the project is complete and final project costs have been confirmed.

“I am very excited to see the board put this grant funding to good use to protect the drinking water for our Greenlawn residents,” said Brown. “Thank you and congratulations to the Greenlawn Water District Board of Commissioners, Chairman John H. Clark, Treasurer John T. McLaughlin, Secretary James M. Logan, Superintendent Robert Santoriello and Chief Plant Operator Frank DeMayo on this grant—I will be on the lookout for future updates on this project and others you intend to take on to continue to improve water quality for our residents.”

File photo by Rohma Abbas

Huntington Town officials will seek to borrow $7.3 million to tackle a wide variety of projects in the upcoming year.

The board approved bonding out $4.95 million for town projects and $2.55 million for water district improvements at its June 5 meeting. Councilman Gene Cook (R) voted against taking on debt, as he traditionally does each year, arguing the necessary funding should have been incorporated into the town’s 2018 budget.

“We have to be cautious with our money,” Cook said.

“We need to look for alternative sources of revenue in order to make the town move forward.”

– Chad Lupinacci

Supervisor Chad Lupinacci (R) said seeking bonds for large capital projects and improvements is better for the town’s long-term growth than tapping into its capital reserves.

“There’s certain things you can budget for, but at times there are larger capital projects that will take a longer time and need more money,” Lupinacci said, citing the restricting of the state’s 2 percent property tax levy increase cap. “We need to look for alternative sources of revenue in order to make the town move forward.”

One project that garnered the entire board’s support – including Cook – was bonding for $2.4 million to make roadway improvements throughout the town. These funds will supplement the more than $4.2 million set aside in the town’s 2018 budget for the Highway Department’s contractual services, materials and supplies.

“It has to do with paving the roads and we get a lot of complaints about potholes,” the supervisor said.

The approved funding also includes $1 million for the Greenlawn Water District to purchase and replace old water meters, in addition to $1.55 million for the Dix Hills Water District to make infrastructure improvements at a plant and replace water meters.

The $7.2 million approved for improvements is substantially less than the town had borrowed the last two years. Huntington took on $13.34 million in 2017 and $13.95 million in 2016, under the prior administration.


Projects approved in the $7.3M Bond:
-$75,000 to resurface parking lots
-$100,000 for fencing
-$130,000 for tank and sump improvements
-$175,000 for roof replacement at ice rink
-$175,000 for town building improvements
-$390,000 for drainage equipment
-$750,000 for drainage improvements
-$2.4 million for road improvements
-$560,000 for Huntington Sewer District
– $1 million for Greenlawn Water District
– $1.55 million for Dix Hills Water District

The funding sought by the town could drastically increase if Lupinacci reintroduces a resolution permitting the town to take out $13.5 million in bonds for construction of the James D. Conte Community Center off East 5th Avenue in Huntington Station. The supervisor pulled the measure June 5 before a vote, saying the overall cost of the project had increased and town council members asked for additional time to review the proposed changes.

“I would rather everyone have their questions addressed before it is voted on,” he said.

When plans for the community center were unveiled in November 2017, town officials had estimated renovating the 2,500-square-foot former New York State Armory would come in at approximately $10 million. The town’s 2018 budget already set aside $3.75 million for the project, in addition to a $1.5 million state grant.

Lupinacci said he plans to address funds for the James. D. Conte center at the June 19 town board meeting.

Two resolutions seeking funds for purchase of vehicles and equipment were defeated by a 3-2 vote, with Councilman Mark Cuthbertson (D) and Cook against. This included a new trackless vehicle at an estimated cost of $130,000, which Lupinacci said he believed would have been used for maintenance of town-owned parks and fields.