The Port Washington Water District has secured a $5 million state grant to help fund a major infrastructure project aimed at removing toxic “forever chemicals” from the local drinking water.
The grant will be used to install a new granular activated carbon treatment system at Well 6, located at the corner of Bar Beach Road and Woodlawn Avenue. The system is designed to remove perfluorooctanoic acid, PFOA, and perfluorooctane sulfonate, PFOS, which are commonly referred to as “forever chemicals” due to their inability to naturally break down in the environment.
“To fund these kinds of projects, we normally need to borrow money through town bonding,” said Paul Prignano, superintendent of the Port Washington Water District. “With this $5 million grant, we won’t have to borrow that portion, and that saves taxpayers from paying interest on another loan.”
The new GAC system works by pumping water through massive carbon-filled vessels, each capable of holding up to 40,000 pounds of carbon. The carbon absorbs PFAS contaminants before the water is distributed to homes. “It’s essentially a large-scale version of a Brita filter,” Prignano said. “We treat water down to non-detect levels, meaning there’s no trace of PFAS by the time it reaches residents.”
The district currently operates 12 wells, 10 of which either already have treatment systems in place or are in the process of being upgraded. Two wells do not require treatment due to non-detectable levels of PFAS.
Well 6 is expected to break ground in early 2026, with completion planned before the EPA’s proposed nationwide PFAS limit drops from 10 parts per trillion to just 4. Prignano said New York State is likely to adopt that more stringent limit, but the district plans to exceed those expectations regardless.
“We’ve already secured funding for this project, so whether the federal or state limits change, we’re committed to getting these chemicals out of the water,” Prignano said.
This isn’t the district’s first step in modernizing its system. A GAC system at Morley Park became operational in May, and another is currently under construction at Port Washington Boulevard and Stonytown Road, expected to go online by year’s end.
In addition to treating PFAS, these projects are helping modernize the district’s infrastructure.
“Many of our stations have equipment that’s reached its life expectancy,” Prignano said. “So we’re also upgrading electrical systems, chemical treatment components, pumps and motors, all of it designed to take us into the future.”
Community response has been largely positive, with residents supportive of the district’s proactive stance on water safety.
“Our board is very aggressive and very involved,” Prignano added. “Our objective is to provide the best quality of water we can with the technology we have and we’re doing just that.”
Prignano says that he believes in the next three to four years, Port Washington will have one of the most advanced water systems out there.
Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) said in a statement these funds are a result of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which he helped negotiate as a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus.
“The Port Washington project is a crucial investment that will enhance and protect our water infrastructure for future generations while reducing the financial burden on our local taxpayers,” Suozzi said in a statement.
