Ten years ago, Long Island’s tap water was considered some of the best in the country. Now it is considered some of the worst. Although the tap water in Port Washington is still classified as "safe," there are many environmental and social factors that lead the majority of Port residents and Schreiber students to prefer to drink bottled water to tap water. Some factors include possible saltwater intrusion, the landfill neighboring Port Washington, cancer rates, and the affluent lifestyle of many Port residents.

To understand the current water situation in Port Washington, it is important to explain the source of our tap water. Unlike New York City, which receives its water from the mountains of upstate New York, Long Island pumps its tap water from its very own underground aquifers, natural storage basins for water. This has, or had, the potential to be a great resource.

The system is quite simple: water is able to seep down through the rocks and minerals. It is naturally cleaned and purified by the sand and other elements and then it enters the aquifers, only to be pumped up by the wells of the Port Washington Water District and used by the general public. As long as the water seeping into the ground is generally clean and water is not pumped at a faster rate than it trickles down, everything is a-okay.

Unfortunately, this is not exactly the case. Water is being pumped out at rates that are too fast for nature to handle. Thomas Murray, Port Washington's Water Commissioner of 13 years, urges Port residents to keep conservation in mind when using Port's water supply. "Everybody should conserve natural resources for the future," he stated. Because of the overuse, or overdraft, of water (and the risk of a drought), the saltwater that surrounds Long Island, and Port Washington, is reportedly seeping into the aquifers, making some water unusable.

On April 16 of this year, Newsday featured an article entitled "Peninsulas' Salty Issue," which showed a map of Port Washington, Manhasset, and Great Neck and areas of saltwater intrusion. Murray, however, commented that he doesn't think there is a saltwater intrusion problem in Port Washington. He regarded Newsday's claims as "false." Despite this, the author of Newsday’s article, Victor Ramos, reports that he got his information from the U.S. Geological Survey, a branch of the U.S. Department of the Interior. The U.S. Geological Survey confirms that saltwater intrusion is, indeed, a problem in Port Washington and the surrounding area.

Regardless of who is correct, saltwater intrusion is a definite problem on Long Island and Port Washington is most certainly at risk. Murray claims that saltwater intrusion is a potential problem and that it just needs to be monitored carefully, although the cost of monitoring and cleaning the water has become increasingly expensive. Long Island has three levels of aquifers underneath it and we are now pumping from the last one - the other two are unusable. At this point, no wells in Port Washington have had to be closed because of saltwater intrusion. Fortunately, besides the risk of wells having to be closed down and the expense required to monitor saltwater intrusion, there are no human health effects.

Another environmental factor that has potentially affected our water supply is the historic potato-farming industry on Long Island. Although the specific chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides used for this widespread farming industry are unknown, rumor has it that they were carcinogenic. Whether this rumor is true or false is insignificant. Either way, these pesticides, fertilizers and chemicals, and any others used for any other type of farming on Long Island, have seeped into the aquifers.

Farming is probably one of the more minor factors surrounding this issue. One of the biggest factors is Long Island's affluence - specifically that of the north shore. Drive down Beacon Hill Road, or any other road in Port Washington, for that matter. Each lawn is greener than the next. Many Long Island and Port Washington residents can afford to use pesticides and fertilizers to make their gardens and lawns look aesthetically pleasing. Yet looks can kill…every pesticide and fertilizer used seeps down into our drinking supply. Pesticides and fertilizers are toxic chemicals.

Do not be immediately alarmed - the Port Washington Water District must follow strict local, state, and federal standards when regulating our water. If the water does not meet these standards, the contaminated well is shut down or the contaminated water source is not used. Still, some people are concerned about these toxins, and others, in the water supply. While they many not be alarming or carcinogenic on their own, what happens when one set of chemicals mixes with another set of chemicals? The results could be disastrous.

Did you know that the landfill bordering Port Washington was a Federal Superfund site? This means the landfill was put on the Environmental Protection Agency's list of the 1,200 most toxic sites in America. Okay, be alarmed. Actually, the most alarming thing is that of 70 Schreiber students, who completed a survey, almost 50% knew absolutely nothing about the landfill. One student said, "Landfill? Port Washington? What’s that?"

Created in the early 1970s, the EPA closed and capped the landfill in 1983. Actions to clean up the site were implemented in 2000 and will continue for at least the next thirty years. Twenty-two years ago, one well was closed because of contamination from the landfill. Today, especially because the site is a superfund site, the water, ground soil, and air at and near the landfill are tested regularly. Usually the test results meet federal requirements. On occasion they have been as much as 200 times over the limit.

Most landfills are constructed with a liner underneath them and numerous measures to prevent pollution and contamination. When this landfill was constructed in the early 1970s, a liner was indeed placed…over 4 acres of a 139-acre space! In 1979 the liner was expanded to cover 29 acres. Somehow, that is not reassuring information when gasoline components, dry-cleaning fluids, solvents, municipal wastes, raw sewage sludge, commercial and municipal wastes, construction and demolition debris, and industrial waste have all been dumped at this site.

There is a pending lawsuit right now between Port Washington and the companies that dumped in Port's landfill; the town wants the companies to pay for the cleanup and damage. Still, according to the Port Washington Water District's annual report, these potential contaminants and pollutants have not yet reached our faucets.

Schreiber's very own environmental science and chemistry teacher Ken Case, who was raised in Port Washington and went to Schreiber, said that he was "not concerned" about the landfill. "It's tested regularly," he said, because of its "superfund" status. While Murray commented, "everybody has concerns with [the landfill]," he stated that it is "not impacting any water supply."

There are more issues surrounding our drinking water. You many have heard reports of lead in water supplies. Lead is a toxic element in paint and other building materials that can be very harmful if consumed by humans. While this is commonly a city problem, it is a potential problem in Port Washington. Many of the houses and buildings are very old and thus the pipes and other systems are not necessarily made from lead-free products.

Also, there have been reports of dumping in Port Washington. For more than seven years, the space at the corner of Port Washington Boulevard and Main Street has remained vacant. Why, you ask? Munsey Cleaners did not properly dispose of perchloroethylene, commonly referred to as perc, or pce, which is a highly toxic waste product, as well as a carcinogen, used in the dry cleaning process. Instead, they reportedly dumped the perc in the basement. (Perc was the main character in major motion pictures A Civil Action, starring John Travolta, and Erin Brockovich, with award winning Julia Roberts.)

When Sbarro's Pizzeria wanted to move into the space, they discovered many environmental concerns. The soil, groundwater and air had all been contaminated with perc. Thankfully, the water and soil problems have been cleaned up, but the air quality remains an issue. Sbarro recently decided it would not be coming to Main Street.

Long Island has high rates of cancer – the highest in the country, in fact. Yes, truly. Of 70 different towns on Long Island (divided by zip code), only 6 towns had higher breast cancer rates than Port Washington. They included New Hyde Park, Long Beach, and Valley Stream. 27 towns had higher prostate cancer rates than Port Washington, including Elmont, Baldwin, and East Meadow. A Schreiber student, who wishes to remain anonymous and drinks a great amount of tap water, says of the high cancer rates, "It bothers me but I figure I am going to die anyway."

Twenty-two percent of the students surveyed reported that they have or had someone in their immediate or extended family that lives in Port Washington with cancer or tumors. Schreiber senior Rachel Diamond, who has been drinking bottled water her entire life (and even gives it to her dog!) believes that breast cancer is a direct result from the tap water. While breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Nassau County women, this is most likely not just from the groundwater, but also from a number of combined sources. These sources include affluence, Jewish heritage, genetics, air quality, and soil quality, as well as the quality of the groundwater.

Affluence not only allows people to use pesticides and fertilizers, but it also determines the types of food people eat, which have a tendency to be high in fat or grown with the use of pesticides. Also, Jewish people, or people with Jewish ancestry, have both the genetic disposition for high rates of cancer as well as a style of living that predicates potential cancer.

You may have heard that there is a high cancer rate in Salem, a Port Washington neighborhood bordering the landfill. This is true; there are high rates of males in Salem with brain tumors, but this is not necessarily from the drinking water. Some of the males had genetic dispositions for brain tumors. The air quality in Salem, due to its proximity to the landfill, may also have something to do with this statistic.

Wait. Stop. Put down the car keys. It is not necessary to go to the grocery store right now and buy out the bottled water supply. Port's water is still considered SAFE, according to local, state, and federal governments. Case was raised on Port's tap water. He finds "no reason not to drink the water. I am confident they follow regulations," he stated. Murray, Port's very own water commissioner and a resident of Port Washington, drinks the tap water – so does his family. Doesn't that tell you something?

More than 50% of the Schreiber student body drinks bottled water and avoids tap water. And, of the Schreiberites that do drink the tap water, 50% use a water filter or purifier. Senior Zena Hassan says, "It makes me feel good that I have filtered water." Diamond says that while she has been raised on bottled water, she truly does not like the taste of Port’s water. "It tastes like s**t," she said. Paraprofessional Karen Novinsky agrees with Diamond. After twenty years of drinking Port’s tap water, Novinsky switched to bottled water two years ago. "I just didn’t like the taste," she said. "It didn’t taste right."

You may wonder, is bottled water any safer to drink? Surprisingly, many think not. Some bottled water companies enhance their water with additives, vitamins and minerals that have the potential to be harmful. While most bottled water companies follow federal standards and regulations, some things do not classify as water. Seltzer water, for example, is considered soda.

Port's water has stricter standards and regulations than most bottled water companies. Moreover, bottled water companies are coming up with new and unusual things to put in water faster than the government can pass legislation and regulations to monitor them. In fact, Murray claims that he thinks Port's water is better than most bottled water.

Additionally, the cost of bottled water needs to be considered. A standard bottle of water is at least $1.00. To spend time and money going to the grocery store to buy water seems like a major inconvenience, especially when it comes right out of your faucet. Despite this, Murray believes more people choose to drink tap water than bottled water because it is the "thing to do." "Tap water must be put in a cup," he says, implying that many Port residents do regard drinking bottled water as more convenient.

Case blames the high use of bottled water in Port Washington on misinformation. "People don't understand all the rules on bottled water…bottled water is less scrutinized than tap water…there is less regulation," he argued. Nevertheless, junior Eun-Hee Vabulas remarked, "I guess bottled water makes me feel safer."

Remember the movie Annie and Annie's little friend Molly? Molly's cry, "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!" comes to mind right now. The confusion, the unknowns, and the uncertainty are immense right now. There are no clear-cut answers surrounding this issue. Despite the concerns, (68% of Schreiber’s tap water drinkers are concerned about the water) Port's water supply is still able to serve the general public. While many choose to stay on the seemingly safe side and drink bottled water, Port's water, although a potential risk, is still almost as good as it gets.

We all need water to live – not drinking water is not the answer. Just be aware of the numerous environmental and social factors and issues surrounding drinking water. Drink at your own risk.