East Williston drafts plans to create $7 million water supply system

East Williston has drafted plans to create a $7 million independent water supply system to end its long dispute over rates with its supplier, Williston Park.

The proposal, presented by engineers to residents Thursday night at Village Hall, would include a 70-by-50-foot water system in Devlin Field, north of East Williston Avenue.

It would have two wells, a 100,000-gallon container and activated-carbon filtration to remove organic contaminants. There would be no overhead or elevated storage tank.

East Williston Mayor David Tanner said the plan has been in the works for two years, but the required design approvals from the Nassau County and state health departments have just now been acquired, permitting the village to build the system.

"This would not be a water district as . . . when a district incorporates several municipalities," Tanner said Friday. "This would be our own water system. We're talking about something that would be contained within the boundaries of our district that is independent."

Details of the funding and other aspects of the project have not yet been finalized. Tanner said several public hearings will be scheduled to gauge views of residents in the community of about 2,600.

"We will continue to negotiate with the Williston Park Village Board as we move judiciously forward with building our own water system," he said.

East Williston and Williston Park have clashed in court over rate hikes since 2011. Last month, after a judge ruled that East Williston owed Williston Park about $600,000 for having withheld payments in a rate dispute, Williston Park served East Williston with legal notice that it intends to sue the village for more than $200,000 in penalties along with other disputed fees.

When asked about East Williston's proposed water system in a telephone interview on Thursday, Williston Park Mayor Paul Ehrbar said he had "no comment at this time."

The independent water system is one of several alternatives East Williston officials have pursued over the years to address their water woes.

Board members have met with Albertson Water District officials, asking to join their district or sell the village its water directly, but it was determined Albertson could not meet East Williston's water needs.

The villages of Mineola and Old Westbury were also approached about individually or cooperatively selling water to East Williston, but they were also unable to serve the village. East Williston water customers use an average of 137 million gallons of water per year, and neither district felt they could handle the capacity, Tanner said.

Private water companies were approached as prospective suppliers, but they said East Williston would be too small to meet their profit requirements, Tanner said.

Williston Park was also asked by Tanner to establish a joint water district. Ehbar has declined to comment on the reason for rejecting the idea.