Despite Power Outages and Other Impacts of Severe Weather, Water Service is Never Interrupted

Plainview, N.Y. (July 29, 2021)—Hurricane season is back in full force, and Long Island is sure to have its periods of severe weather this summer and into the Fall. Despite the occurrences of flooding and widespread power outages, the Plainview Water District (PWD) is prepared and well equipped to continue providing its residents with the highest quality water possible, regardless of the weather.

“The Plainview Water District has taken both short-term and long-term planning and resiliency measures to ensure our supply and distribution system operation can handle any severe weather event,” said PWD Chairman Marc Laykind. “The last thing anyone needs during a major storm is for their water to stop flowing. Luckily for our residents, we have made the necessary investments in both infrastructure and manpower to keep water flowing twenty-four seven.”

All water pumps and treatment facilities rely heavily on electricity in order to operate. If a power outage does occur, the PWD has its own emergency electrical generator facilities on standby at its plant sites to take over supplying electricity to is key facilities. The generator equipment is maintained year-round and tested frequently to ensure everything is always ready when needed. In addition, all members of the PWD are trained and prepared to use the equipment and handle many different emergency situations like hurricanes and tropical storms.

“All District facilities and staff are prepared to act immediately should our facilities lose power or be impacted in any other way by a severe storm,” said Commissioner Andrew Bader. “Our emergency action plan has dedicated response teams that are ready to be mobilized at a moment’s notice. Fortunately for the community, they typically don’t ever have to worry about their water service stopping due to a storm thanks to our team’s preparedness.”

The District is also a member of New York’s statewide Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (NYWARN) of utilities that encourages and supports emergency preparedness across the state, as well as disaster response and mutual aid for public and private water and wastewater utilities. As a member of NYWARN, neighboring water suppliers from across the state provide emergency assistance when necessary. The Plainview Water District also has a seat at Nassau County’s Office of Emergency Management, where water and utility suppliers across the county coordinate an emergency response in case of a region-wide power outage. The PWD is proud to help assist its neighboring water systems and other Nassau County utility suppliers in case of an emergency.

“Ensuring that our facilities can be self-sufficient without a moment’s notice is only possible because of the great work of our teams and professional engineers who designed the systems to operate in any condition,” said Commissioner Amanda Field. “Power outages can be extremely stressful periods of time for residents, so we want everyone in the POB community to rest assured that when it comes to all things water, we have it under control.”