Keeping water services public worth the fight The stark contrast between public utilities and private entities that provide similar services has become abundantly clear to Long Island residents living along the south shore in Nassau County and other communities. In these working class neighborhoods, the “investor-owned” American Water Co. provides water to more than 72,000 residences and businesses for about $800 more per year than those served by public utilities. The cost difference is startling, but so is the rusty water that flows into homes on an intermittent basis, the result of company’s inability to properly mitigate the effects of the high levels of iron sediment that naturally occur in the region’s ground water. Customers have gone on record to declare they prefer not to drink the rusty water (for obvious reasons), or wash their clothes with it for fear of permanent staining. This problem required American Water to invest $7.5 million into a water treatment facility near their main headquarters in Lynbrook. It’s anyone’s guess what effect that considerable spending will have on consumer water bills down the road, but in April 2012 the Public Services Commission had already granted the company a 12 percent rate hike over three years. American Water maintains additional facilities in Merrick, serving an area of 43 square miles with 24 pumping stations and 723 miles of main. Some of the communities it serves include parts of Baldwin, Cedarhurst, East Rockaway, Hewlett, Island Park, Lynbrook, Oceanside, Roosevelt, Valley Stream, West Hempstead and Woodmere. By comparison, CSEA members working in the South Farmingdale Water District (SFWD) maintain a 122-mile network of mains and pipelines with a daily pumping capacity of 20.5 million gallons. CSEA members provide quality service to nearly 45,000 people in a 5.4-squaremile area that includes South Farmingdale and North Massapequa. They also work to preserve 3.2 million gallons of water stored in four tanks, and provide district residents with information to help conserve water whenever possible. The facts speak for themselves. Unlike private water companies like American Water, SFWD water rates are about 2 percent below the national average, and the consumer water tax in the district is less than 1.7 percent of the total tax bill, according to data compiled from surveys conducted by the American Waterworks Associations. This is not a unique example of savings and service from a public water supply. CSEA members employed by the In this file photo, left to right, John Mooney, Dennis Johnson and Chris Wendez show off one of the new, high-tech fire hydrants they installed near the ocean shore in Long Beach after Hurricane Sandy destroyed parts of the municipal water system. Public water utilities continue to provide water at competitive rates compared with privately outsourced providers in neighboring communities. Massapequa Water District (MWD) maintain a 146-mile transmission and distribution system with a daily pumping capacity of 19 million gallons that provides quality service to about 43,000 people in a 6.6-square-mile area including Massapequa and Massapequa Park. The Massapequa district workers preserve the 4 million gallons of water in one elevated and three ground storage tanks and make repairs to maintain the system when required. “Both water districts have been delivering a continuous supply of water to residents since 1931,” said CSEA Nassau Municipal Local President John Shepherd. “These water district workers ensure public health and safety, promote water conservation, cooperate with local and state authorities and fulfill this mission in an efficient, economical and environmentally sound manner.” — Rich Impagliazzo 6 The Work Force June 2014
June_14_WF
To see the actual publication please follow the link above