Williston Park hikes water rates 33%, angering East Williston
The Village of Williston Park hiked water rates 33% for its residents as well as the Village of East Williston to fund a new system for treating “forever chemicals.”
East Williston buys its water from Williston Park, its supplier for decades. The filtration system will be used to help Williston Park comply with federal regulations requiring four parts per trillion of PFAS chemicals in drinking water by 2029. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adopted that limit in 2024, putting it below the level New York State adopted in 2020: 10 parts per trillion.
PFAS, also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are known as “forever chemicals.” They are found in various household items and have contaminated Long Island’s water supply.
Ehrbar said his village was left with few options given the 2029 deadline: “We won’t meet that,” Williston Park Mayor Paul Ehrbar said in an interview. “We need to put in a filtration system to meet the guidelines.”
“Myself and my whole board is not happy with this. It is not something we enjoy doing,” Ehrbar said. “We all live in the village. We got to pay these rates.”
Parente has urged Ehrbar to reconsider the $29.5 million filtration system. Williston Park could adopt a more targeted approach to treating contaminated areas, she said in a letter to Ehrbar that was published on her village’s website. While the Village of East Williston is facing a 33% hike for water, officials haven’t decided on residents’ new rates. The new rates took effect on March 1.
“Our residents want us to pause and review whether this is absolutely necessary from an EPA standard, and whether there’s not another way to do this …” Parente told Newsday in an interview.
Williston Park serves 2,126 homeowners, village clerk and treasurer Kristi Romano wrote in an email. East Williston has about 840 homes that Williston Park serves, Parente said. The rate increases vary based on usage.
In Williston Park, the rate for households using 10,000 gallons or fewer will rise from $51.40 to $68.40. Residents whose use exceeds 10,000 gallons will pay an additional $6.84 per 1,000 gallons, up from $5.14. When water use exceeds 50,000 gallons, households will then be charged an additional $7.13 per 1,000 gallons, up from $5.36.
The dispute comes amid a recent lawsuit filed by two national water utility trade groups seeking to overturn the EPA’s limits on “forever chemicals.” The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Appeals Court for time to reconsider the regulations, which were implemented during the Biden administration.
Several Long Island municipalities have hiked fees to cover the cost of treating contaminants. In April, the Town of Huntington approved a measure allowing the Dix Hills Water District to charge customers an annual $120 surcharge to cover improvement projects, Newsday previously reported. And in Hempstead, the town board last year approved a 33.1% rate increase for residents in districts run by the town’s water department: East Meadow, Levittown, Roosevelt Field, Uniondale, Lido-Point Lookout and Bowling Green Estates.
Ehrbar said the village has received some grants to “defray” the cost of the filtration system and hopes more are approved.
Parente has urged Ehrbar to pause the rate hike. In her letter to Ehrbar, she cited state data showing that Williston Park’s water quality has been “consistently below 4 [parts per trillion] for 3 of the 4 prior years for PFOA contaminants.”
Ehrbar told Newsday while East Williston is allowed “input into what we do, the decision lies with us.”
The villages’ dispute over water goes back decades, Newsday previously reported. In 2011, East Williston filed a legal motion opposing a rate hike. Then, in 2014, the village drafted plans to create an independent water supply after a judge ruled it owed Williston Park about $600,000 because it withheld payments. The public squabbling came to a halt in 2016 when the villages signed an exclusive water sale contract.
Parente said the villages depend on each other.
“East Williston needs a water provider, and Williston Park needs a large customer,” Parente said. “So we should be in this together to find a solution.”
Ehrbar on March 7 hand-delivered a written response to Parente’s letter at her law office in Williston Park, Parente said. The two mayors had what she described as a “cordial” conversation about the situation.
“I’d consider us one community,” Parente said. “I don’t think our disagreements have any animus in them.”
She added: “But we disagree about water.”
The Village of Williston Park hiked water rates 33% for its residents as well as the Village of East Williston to fund a new system for treating “forever chemicals.”
East Williston buys its water from Williston Park, its supplier for decades. The filtration system will be used to help Williston Park comply with federal regulations requiring four parts per trillion of PFAS chemicals in drinking water by 2029. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adopted that limit in 2024, putting it below the level New York State adopted in 2020: 10 parts per trillion.
PFAS, also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are known as “forever chemicals.” They are found in various household items and have contaminated Long Island’s water supply.
Ehrbar said his village was left with few options given the 2029 deadline: “We won’t meet that,” Williston Park Mayor Paul Ehrbar said in an interview. “We need to put in a filtration system to meet the guidelines.”
“Myself and my whole board is not happy with this. It is not something we enjoy doing,” Ehrbar said. “We all live in the village. We got to pay these rates.”
Parente has urged Ehrbar to reconsider the $29.5 million filtration system. Williston Park could adopt a more targeted approach to treating contaminated areas, she said in a letter to Ehrbar that was published on her village’s website. While the Village of East Williston is facing a 33% hike for water, officials haven’t decided on residents’ new rates. The new rates took effect on March 1.
“Our residents want us to pause and review whether this is absolutely necessary from an EPA standard, and whether there’s not another way to do this …” Parente told Newsday in an interview.
Rate hikes
Williston Park serves 2,126 homeowners, village clerk and treasurer Kristi Romano wrote in an email. East Williston has about 840 homes that Williston Park serves, Parente said. The rate increases vary based on usage.
In Williston Park, the rate for households using 10,000 gallons or fewer will rise from $51.40 to $68.40. Residents whose use exceeds 10,000 gallons will pay an additional $6.84 per 1,000 gallons, up from $5.14. When water use exceeds 50,000 gallons, households will then be charged an additional $7.13 per 1,000 gallons, up from $5.36.
The dispute comes amid a recent lawsuit filed by two national water utility trade groups seeking to overturn the EPA’s limits on “forever chemicals.” The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Appeals Court for time to reconsider the regulations, which were implemented during the Biden administration.
Several Long Island municipalities have hiked fees to cover the cost of treating contaminants. In April, the Town of Huntington approved a measure allowing the Dix Hills Water District to charge customers an annual $120 surcharge to cover improvement projects, Newsday previously reported. And in Hempstead, the town board last year approved a 33.1% rate increase for residents in districts run by the town’s water department: East Meadow, Levittown, Roosevelt Field, Uniondale, Lido-Point Lookout and Bowling Green Estates.
Ehrbar said the village has received some grants to “defray” the cost of the filtration system and hopes more are approved.
Parente has urged Ehrbar to pause the rate hike. In her letter to Ehrbar, she cited state data showing that Williston Park’s water quality has been “consistently below 4 [parts per trillion] for 3 of the 4 prior years for PFOA contaminants.”
Years of disputes
Ehrbar told Newsday while East Williston is allowed “input into what we do, the decision lies with us.”
The villages’ dispute over water goes back decades, Newsday previously reported. In 2011, East Williston filed a legal motion opposing a rate hike. Then, in 2014, the village drafted plans to create an independent water supply after a judge ruled it owed Williston Park about $600,000 because it withheld payments. The public squabbling came to a halt in 2016 when the villages signed an exclusive water sale contract.
Parente said the villages depend on each other.
“East Williston needs a water provider, and Williston Park needs a large customer,” Parente said. “So we should be in this together to find a solution.”
Ehrbar on March 7 hand-delivered a written response to Parente’s letter at her law office in Williston Park, Parente said. The two mayors had what she described as a “cordial” conversation about the situation.
“I’d consider us one community,” Parente said. “I don’t think our disagreements have any animus in them.”
She added: “But we disagree about water.”
Water wars
- Williston Park approved a 33% water rate increase for its residents, as well as the Village of East Williston, to help fund a new water filtration system.
- East Williston village officials have yet to determine a rate increase for their residents.
- East Williston mayor Bonnie Parente opposes the hike and called for a pause.
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