Concern and confusion grow over water quality on Long Island
The state is calling it a reporting error by Connetquot, but the district denies it was their mistake.
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The New York Department of Health released its Lead Testing in School results, including schools on Long Island.
Connetquot High School was originally reported to have 70 samples that were higher than the legal limit. That was incorrect, and the state's updated report now shows two out of 70 have high levels, which have been fixed.
The state is calling it a reporting error by Connetquot, but the district denies it was their mistake.
The state Health Department says the information about the levels of lead found in dozens of other districts is correct.
This includes Laurel Park Elementary in Brentwood, where nearly half of the tested water samples had lead that exceeded the state limit.
In a letter to the community, the Brentwood superintendent says all impacted water outlets were immediately removed from service, and all current water outlets used for drinking and food prep meet state requirements.
The Suffolk County Water Authority says it's now hearing from concerned residents about lead in the water.
CEO Jeff Szabo says in 2024, they checked 400,000 service connections and found 15 lead service lines, which have since been replaced.
"Any detections of lead, it's not coming from the Water Authority, it's coming from internal fixtures, internal plumbing at schools and other buildings and facilities," Szabo said.
See the state's full report here: https://health.data.ny.gov/Health/Lead-Testing-in-School-Drinking-Water-Sampling-and/rygk-rhum/about_data
