By Editorial Team | on September 15, 2022

The Hicksville Water District (HWD) has received a compliance deferral renewal from the New York State Health Department allowing the District additional time to install the necessary infrastructure upgrades to treat for 1,4-dioxane. The deferral was initially granted to the District in 2020, and the deferral process is only available to those water providers throughout the state that have shown significant progress in installing the now required advanced oxidation process (AOP) treatment system for the removal of 1,4-dioxane to meet the recently established maximum contaminant levels (MCL).

“We have been as aggressive in our efforts to combat the presence of emerging contaminants in our water,” said HWD Chairman Nicholas Brigandi. “Throughout this treatment process, our water quality has never exceeded the established MCL, remaining safe for our residents despite these challenges. We have successfully installed seven revolutionary new systems over the past few years and we will continue to do so until every affected well in our District is accounted for.”

On August 26, 2020, the New York State Health Department (DOH) finalized regulations establishing MCLs for 1,4-dioxane at 1 part per billion (ppb) and for PFOA and PFOS at 10 parts per trillion (ppt). The DOH granted the HWD a deferral renewal thanks to the District’s aggressive treatment projects, all of which have kept the community’s water at a level safe for consumption.

The district is in the process of making an approximately $70 million investment in its treatment systems for 1,4-dioxane. Advocacy from state and local elected officials has resulted in the District receiving approximately $35 million in grant awards, significantly reducing the cost impact that the construction of these treatment facilities will have on ratepayers. Treatment systems have already been installed at Plants 1, 4, 5 and 9, and construction of further treatment facilities is ongoing at Plant 8. Work at Plant 8 is expected to be complete by fall of 2023.

AOP treatment, when coupled with granular activated carbon (GAC), is the only proven method to rid the water supply of 1,4-dioxane. This treatment combination is also capable of removing perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), should detections of these contaminants ever near the State’s new maximum contaminant levels (MCLs). AOP treatment works by mixing an oxidant, in this case hydrogen peroxide, with water and running it through ultraviolet light. This makes a chemical reaction that destroys the 1,4-dioxane molecules. The water then runs through the GAC filters which removes any remaining hydrogen peroxide and impurities prior to entering the public distribution system.

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