Water Less Brown As Flushing Wraps Up Around Town

"We're following through," said Long Island Water President Bill Varley, who has been out in Malverne, West Hempstead and Lakeview all week-long supervising crews that have been flushing hydrants in the area.

Varley is making good on a promise he made to residents at held in Malverne on Feb. 10 that he would flush out the entire system to remove much of the sediment that has built up during the winter months. By doing this, residents who have been and residue that has been flowing from their faucets should see a noticeable improvement in the quality of their H20.

Four different crews were out in Malverne on Monday and were able to flush over 140 of the village's roughly 200 hydrants. A drop in the temperature on Tuesday put the project on ice temporarily although one crew did not get the day off as they were called into Malverne to repair a 12-inch main break on Cornwell Avenue near Franklin Avenue that afternoon. It took most of the day to repair the break, but Varley said no residents were without water during this time.

"This is the busy season for main breaks because of temperature fluctuations and ground settlement," Varley said, explaining that the weather was the cause and not the flushing being done to the system. He added that it was fixed by Tuesday evening.

They resumed the flushing work in Malverne on Wednesday, finishing the remaining hydrants in the village by the end of the day, and moved further into Lakeview and West Hempstead. 

 "Friday should be the end," Varley told Patch earlier in the week. "Right now that looks good."

He also said that Long Island American Water is also in the process of installing a well pump in Lakeview that will service those residents and homes in Malverne and West Hempstead. 

He reiterated, "The important thing is we’re following through."

Varley has also honored his promise to keep residents informed on the progress of all the projects the company is working on in the area. He is doing this by posting announcements to the Long Island American Water Facebook page and sending daily updates to Tom Grech and the Malverne Civic Association, which can be viewed on the "I Love Malverne...but hate the brown water (From LI Water) Facebook page and the Civic's Web site.

For instance, this morning LIAW posted "Flushing is continuing in Lakeview and it is expected to be completed by the end of the day today."

Their focus today is on the area east of Ocean Avenue and Hempstead Avenue.

Customers living in other areas, such as Lynbrook, who would like to request their hydrants be flushed can call 516-596-4836.

Some residents in Malverne are already seeing a difference in their water as a result of the flushing.

Don Pupke, of Malverne, wrote on the Facebook group's page that "My hot water was clear today for the first time in years. Makes you wonder why hasn't this always been the case?"

One woman even credited her recently flushed tap water for having "an awesome hair day."

While another "jaded Lynbrook resident" said the clear water is only a temporary fix.

Letting out the hydrants has not prompted engaged residents to let up on the pressure they have put on the water company in the past few weeks to make clear tap water a regular occurrence in Malverne and neighboring areas.

This afternoon, a private meeting will be held at Malverne's Village Hall, where activists, local leaders and representatives for LIAW will come together to discuss the next steps. Varley, Grech, Mayor Patricia Norris McDonald, New York State Assemblyman Brian Curran and Peter Robideau, president of the Malverne Civic Association will be present.

Among the items that will be brought to the table will be a proposal for independent village-wide water testing with clear and definitive standards and results, a request to continue to receive regular updates regarding progress from LIAW, a call for new Customer Service training for the company's reps, who have been charged with mishandling residents' complaints and questions, and a demand for more transparency overall from LIAW.

Oh yea, and they'd like bring an end to the brown water for good and guarantee clear, clean, safe water for the entire community. 

Stay with Patch for more updates regarding this issue.