Assessor Levinson’s Letter to Newsday:  Water Districts

MEDIA CONTACT:  Randolph Yunker  (516) 571-2490

July 18, 2006

Newsday, 235 Pinelawn Road, Melville, New York  11747

Dear Editor:

Senator Carl Marcellino’s call for the creation of a “water czar” to coordinate the myriad of agencies that regulate and control the testing of our water supply (as reported in Newsday’s article, “The Dirt on Groundwater” – 7/14/06) should be acted upon immediately.  Our abundant and precious water supply cannot and should not be treated as an exclusive commodity to be handled by dozens of individual water districts. 

It is time that legislative action is taken to create a Nassau County Water Authority similar to Suffolk County so that we can put an end to the over 50 separate water districts, corporations and authorities providing drinking water to homeowners at widely different usage charges and property tax rates.  Not only do these districts have widely different property tax rates, but also charge our local volunteer fire districts rental fees that ranged in 2005 from nearly $65 to $520 for each fire hydrant!  

The individual water districts are artificial creations with artificial boundaries.  Yet, what is often overlooked is the fact that the water supply under Long Island knows no boundaries.  A toxic contamination that occurs in one water district will eventually migrate to a neighboring water supply. 

The best way to protect our residents and provide a better way to protect and deliver our water supply is through a coordinated effort.  I hope that other legislators will have the political courage to act quickly to change a system that needs to be monitored more aggressively.

Sincerely,

HARVEY B. LEVINSON

Chairman, Board of Assessors