Politics & Government

Suffolk Water Quality Reports Available Online

Residents now have access to report from the convenience of their home computer.

Written by Sara Walsh

Suffolk residents wondering what might be in the drinking water coming from their kitchen’s tap can go online to find the answer.

Suffolk County Water Authority has unveiled a new web-based version of its annual 2013 Drinking Water Quality Report that offers residents the ability to search for information by town and will save taxpayers thousands of dollars. The report can be found at www.scwa.com/dwqr.

The SCWA’s new website offers residents two options: to download the entire 38-page report that offers information on a variety of water quality topics, or to look up their water quality by town in those areas serviced. The towns are listed in alphabetical order, some grouped with neighboring towns or divided based by streets.

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By clicking on a town, residents will have access to a two-page report measuring more than 70 water qualities and compounds. Basic information such as a town’s water pH, a measure of its acidity or alkalinity, and hardness are listed.

SCWA Chairman James F. Gaughran said the online report was made possible as the federal Environmental Protection Agency and New York State Department of Health changed laws earlier this year to allow water suppliers to provide drinking water quality reports electronically.

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“Previously, we would print up this 16-page newspaper that we would have distributed inside an advertising circular that was put in people’s driveway or mailbox,” Gaughran said. “Very few people saw it, read it or could figure out what its value was. It was difficult to figure out what was happening in your neighborhood.”

The change is expected to save the SCWA roughly $85,000 to $120,000 each year, which can now be spent on rate stabilization, infrastructure improvements and other important projects, according to Gaughran.

One of those projects will be continuing to improve and upgrade the website.

“We will put some savings into our website to make it more interactive and more beneficial to our customers. Suffolk County residents will be able to go and find wells for that neighborhood,” Gaughran said.

Although residents are able to print the 2013 report from the website, those who would like to receive a paper copy can contact SCWA at 631-698-9500.


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