Those who work to bring Long Island's 2.7 million people their drinking water 24/7 were dismayed by Michael A. Miller's recent Viewpoint Essay "Blackout Should Inspire Water Review" (August 28, 2003) that spoke so poorly of the existing public water industry. Not only was Miller's column filled with inaccuracies but it was insulting that it was printed just 14 days after hundreds of us worked day and night to ensure that our customers were not without water during the blackout.

While we are fortunate to live in a country that allows us to express our opinions freely, that does not give anyone the right to use false statements to alarm the public about the quality and safety of their drinking water.

Mr. Miller compared the vulnerabilities of the electrical system blackout to those of our water system. The continuous flow of electricity through a "grid" system was the reason the power outage spread so far and wide. On Long Island, however, the public drinking water does not flow from one district to another, except in extraneous circumstances. Each supplier is segmented from its neighbors by a series of valves that remain shut. In the case of an attack or severe emergency, this segmentation would protect us against massive failure and actually give us many more options than we would have if we were all connected. I also add that, after September 11, the Nassau County Department of Health required public water suppliers to submit disaster preparedness plans that specifically address their individual needs and concerns and outline the steps that need to be taken should there be an emergency situation.

Many municipalities throughout New York are forced to deal with aging infrastructure. Nassau County's water suppliers are no exception and have invested millions of dollars in state-of-the-art equipment to bring their systems up-to-date. The health and safety of the consumer is always our top priority and never compromised. Water officials spend a lot of time and effort developing plans for routine equipment repairs and replacement and take great pride in careful fiscal planning, It is a never-ending process and as someone who has worked in government, Michael Miller should have known and respected that.

It is true that all Long Island water districts have emergency connections to neighboring water suppliers but it is false that they are "unusable." In fact, the health department requires that the connections be inspected annually. It is also false that opening a 12-inch pipe into an 8-inch pipe would blow out the smaller pipe. Mr. Miller is wrong. As our drinking water is brought from hundreds of feet below ground, through many miles of water mains to our homes, it passes through a series of different size pipes with no change in water pressure or interruption of service. Mr. Miller should check his facts with a qualified engineer before he makes such bold statements.

Virtually all water districts on Long Island show a strong commitment to the preservation and wise use of our water resources. In fact, Anton Publications has received and published hundreds of press releases from area water suppliers over the years, providing the public with volumes of information about water conservation. Unfortunately, too many people seem to think that a lush green lawn is more important then conserving water and tend to over-water their landscapes. Irrigation is by far the number one use of water. Although they typically charge high-end users more per gallon as use goes up, water suppliers have an obligation to meet consumer demand; someone's water cannot be shut off because they are using too much. Perhaps Mr. Miller's time would be better spent directing his comments about the importance of water conservation to the public.

I also point out that all water suppliers respond to leaks and water main breaks immediately. Additionally, they routinely conduct audits to check for possible leaks in their systems.

Mr. Miller is incorrect in stating that the SCADA (Supervisory Control and Date Acquisition) system is used to monitor water quality when in fact its primary purpose is to monitor flow and overall plant operations. Other reliable systems are in place to take care of water quality monitoring. Also, all water suppliers are required to have an emergency energy backup system in place in case of an outage, a fact that was clearly proven during the August 14 blackout. Those emergency systems are also capable of running SCADA and other computer systems as needed.

Our residents should be assured that Long Island's public water supply is both safe and plentiful. This information is presented in detail in the annual water quality reports mailed to consumers each year.

John J. Sweeney, District Superintendent,

Garden City Park Water District

Timothy Doyle, Chairman,

Long Island Water Conference

Robert P. York,

District Superintendent,

West Hemp. Water District

Karl W. Dahlem, Superintendent,

Oyster Bay Water District

Paul J. Granger, PE,

Superintendent, Plainview

Water District

R. Richard McLoughlin, Superintendent,

Glenwood Water District

Nicholas J. DeSantis, PE,

Director of Public Works,

City of Glen Cove Water Dept.

William C. Olson, Chairman,

Board of Commissioners,

Westbury Water District

Anthony Iannone, Superintendent,

Rockville Centre Water Dept.

Italo J. Vacchio, Superintendent,

Port Washington Water District

William E. Schuckman, Superintendent,

Hicksville Water District

Robert T. Heller, Chairman,

Board of Water Commissioners,

Carle Place Water District

Matthew Snyder, District Manager,

NY Water Service Corp.

Joseph M. Trudden, Mayor,

Farmingdale Village

Joseph Simone, Supervisor Water Plant,

Inc. Village of Hempstead

Louis P. Savinetti, Commissioner,

Locust Valley Water District

Note: The Long Island Water Conference is a professional association of more than 45 Nassau-Suffolk public water suppliers.