Navigating the Waters: Your Guide to Municipal and Private Water System Connections on Long Island
Long Island homeowners face a unique water infrastructure landscape that can significantly impact their utility costs, service reliability, and maintenance responsibilities. Understanding the difference between municipal and private water systems, along with your connection options, is crucial for making informed decisions about your property’s water service.
The Long Island Water System Landscape
There are 48 water districts on the island, 11 in Suffolk County and 37 in Nassau County. This complex network creates significant variations in service quality, costs, and customer responsibilities across different areas. According to the report, a typical customer of the Suffolk County Water Authority pays $355 per year, including $111.64 annually in service charges. The water authority is by far the largest water provider on the island, serving 1.2 million customers.
Whether a public water supply company provides your water or you have your own private well on your property, our only source of Long Island drinking water comes directly out of our aquifer system, making water quality protection a shared regional concern regardless of your connection type.
Municipal Water Systems: The Public Option
Municipal water systems on Long Island are typically operated as public utilities or water authorities. Public water systems are usually non-profit entities managed by local or state governments, for which rates are set by a governing board. The majority of the drinking water in Nassau County is delivered to the homes and businesses by public water systems. There are 46 public water systems and approximately 500 private wells in Nassau County.
The advantages of municipal systems include:
- Public Long Island water is often pulled from the Magothy Aquifer, tested and often treated. Additionally, it is routinely monitored for contaminants. Public water supply companies produce water quality reports available to the public.
- Public water systems are routinely tested by both the public water supplier and the Nassau County Department of Health. Wells, treatment facilities, water storage tanks, and the distribution systems are tested for over 150 different contaminants. The contaminants tested for include microbiological, Volatile Organic Contaminants (VOC), pesticides, inorganic contaminants, nitrates, perchlorate, radiological, disinfection byproducts and asbestos.
- Generally more affordable than private systems
- Regulated oversight and consumer protections
Private Water Systems: Understanding the Costs
Private water companies operate for profit and can charge significantly higher rates. is the New York American Water company, a private, for-profit company that serves 135,000 customers in Nassau County. It is also has the most expensive water costs of all 48 districts, with annual water costs to residents of between $719 and $1,125 in its three service areas. Unlike most communities in the United States who receive their water supply through not-for-profit local municipalities, some of Nassau County’s North Shore communities are supplied water by private publicly listed utilities. These for-profit entities maximize their own shareholders’ value through inflated water bills passed onto water customers.
Private well systems present another option, though According to the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, there are an estimated 40,000 – 45,000 private water wells in use in Suffolk County alone. Water from private wells is not routinely tested unless the individual homeowner chooses to do so. However, it is prudent to have private well water tested since the water is more than likely coming from the shallow, Upper Glacial Aquifer and thus more susceptible to contaminants.
Your Connection Responsibilities
Regardless of whether you connect to municipal or private systems, homeowners have specific responsibilities for their service lines. Many homeowners are unaware they are responsible for their home’s water and sewer/septic lines. Each of these pipes runs underground from your home and connects to the water main, the municipal sewer line in the street, or up to the septic tank on your property.
The Water Authority of Wester Nassau County maintains over 28,000 customer accounts and each customer maintains their own service line connecting its home plumbing to the public water system. Each connection also has a service line and components maintained by the water system connecting to the water main. Understanding this division of responsibility is crucial for budgeting maintenance and repairs.
In most cases, the property owner, not the city is responsible for repairing the sewer line running from the house to the public main in the street. In most cases, the property owner, not the city is responsible for repairing the sewer lines running from the house to the public main in the street.
Professional Installation and Maintenance Services
When dealing with water and sewer line connections, working with experienced professionals is essential. Long Island Sewer & Water Main has been serving Nassau and Suffolk County residents for nearly 40 years, specializing in both water main and sewer line services. We are one of the only providers of trenchless sewer and water line services across both Nassau County and Suffolk County. Using our trenchless technologies, we are able to provide more efficient, convenient, and cost-effective sewer line services to residents and businesses across Long Island.
Their comprehensive services include water main installation, repair, and maintenance, ensuring reliable connections whether you’re connecting to municipal systems or maintaining private infrastructure. Long Island Sewer and Water Main offers an extensive range of water main services, including new water line installations and main water line repairs for both residential and commercial properties. Our skilled water main contractors specialize in installing new water lines, ensuring reliable service, provided by Long Island Sewer and Water Main.
Making the Right Choice for Your Property
When evaluating your water connection options, consider:
- Long-term cost implications of different systems
- Service reliability and quality standards
- Your maintenance responsibilities and capabilities
- Available connection options in your specific area
- Future infrastructure development plans
The organization advocates for holding Long Island’s drinking water supplies “as a public trust, not sold as a luxury item by private companies.” This perspective highlights the ongoing debate about water service delivery models on Long Island.
Understanding your water system connection options and responsibilities empowers you to make informed decisions about one of your home’s most critical utilities. Whether connecting to municipal systems or maintaining private infrastructure, professional guidance and quality installation services ensure reliable, long-term water service for your Long Island property.