From the Office of New York State Comptroller
Thomas P. DiNapoli

FOR RELEASE: 
Immediately August 29, 2007.

DiNapoli Presents West Hempstead Water District with final payment
from State Oil Spill Fund

More than $1.2 million spent to clean up MTBE contamination

The West Hempstead-Hempstead Gardens Water District received its third and final payment from
the New York Environmental Protection and Spill Fund for the clean-up of four public wells
contaminated by methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE), New York State Comptroller Thomas P.
DiNapoli announced today.

The $594,980 payment is the third installment of a $1.204 million damage claim settlement the Fund
negotiated with the water district in 2006. A significant portion of the settlement funded the
installation of a new drinking water supply well at an alternate location.

“This payment brings the District one step closer to finally operating at full capacity to supply
residents with clean drinking water,” DiNapoli said. “Timing is crucial when dealing with MTBE
because it spreads so quickly through groundwater and soil. By moving quickly to resolve the
District’s damage claims, we were able to provide vital funding for the construction of a new supply
well.”

“This is what happens when agencies work together to solve a problem,” said District Superintendent
Robert P. York. “The drilling of a supply well and putting it into service to meet the summer’s
demand was done expeditiously. The cooperation of all agencies involved was terrific.”

The West Hempstead-Hempstead Gardens Water District submitted a damage claim to the Oil Spill
Fund in September 2006, after four of the District’s ten public water supply wells were found to be
contaminated with MTBE, a gasoline additive which has been banned in New York since 2004. The
MTBE contamination resulted from a petroleum discharge that greatly reduced the District’s clean
water capacity. District costs included expenditures for sampling, installation of a new well system to
replace lost capacity, and modification of two wells to place them into the filtration and treatment
system.

The Oil Spill Fund, in partnership with the Department of Environmental Conservation, is also
acting to clean up the petroleum discharge. The Fund has spent more than $1.8 million remediating
the contamination, bringing the total costs to more than $3 million. Clean-up efforts are continuing
under the oversight of Department engineers.

The Oil Spill Fund has referred damage claim payment to the Office of the Attorney General who
will pursue cost recovery from those determined to be responsible for the spill.

About the Oil Spill Fund
The New York Environmental Protection and Spill Compensation Fund is administered by the
Office of the State Comptroller and pays for the remediation of petroleum spills conducted with the
oversight of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Individuals and
entities who sustain financial losses because of a petroleum spill may file damage claims with the
Fund.

The Fund’s major sources of revenue are a license fee charged on each barrel of petroleum sold in
New York State ($.08 per 42-gallon barrel), and reimbursement from petroleum spillers. When the
party responsible for a petroleum spill is identified, the Fund pursues reimbursement from that party
for claims paid in relation to that particular spill.

 _____________________________________________________________

Newsday, Thursday, August 30, 2007

Final payment made in wells contamination
BY JASON DEL RAY

The West Hempstead-Hempstead Gardens Water District has received a final payment the state to help
cover the cost of dealing with gasoline spills and contaminated drinking water wells.

The $594,980 payment is the third installment of a $1.204 million damage claim

_____________________________________________________

Click here to view archive of original MTBE alerts and updates

_____________________________________________________

Celebrating 80 years of community service

Welcome to the West Hempstead Water District Web site. Please take some time to look around and get to know us
 a little better. Learn some history of the District and how it developed, then meet the Board and Staff. Have any 
questions visit the Billing and Backflow pages for help or use the contact page for information on calling or writing us.