What About Water?

A special crossover episode of ‘What About Water?’ and ‘Environmental Echo’, hosted by Paul Boyce, President and CEO of P.W. Grosser Consulting. In this episode, Jeff Szabo, Chief Executive Officer of the Suffolk County Water Authority sits down with Paul to discuss how SCWA became the first utility in New York to comply with the federal PFAS rules—six years early, the rollout of 40+ AOP systems to treat emerging contaminants, and ...

In episode 24 of ‘What About Water?’, SCWA CEO Jeff Szabo sits down with Ty Fuller, SCWA’s Director of Strategic Initiatives, and Jennifer Juengst, LICAP Board Member and Deputy County Executive for Suffolk County, to discuss the newly issued 2024 State of the Aquifer report. They explore the most pressing challenges facing Long Island’s aquifer, including microplastics and emerging contaminants like PFAS, and highlight the progres...

In episode 23 of 'What About Water?', SCWA CEO Jeff Szabo sits down with Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine to discuss an important ballot initiative voters will be presented with this Election Day. The discussion delves into the history of water infrastructure on Long Island how the future of water will be shaped this November. They also discuss County Executive Romaine’s personal history fighting to expand high quality...

In episode 22 of 'What About Water?', SCWA CEO Jeff Szabo sits down with Deputy CEO of Operations Joe Pokorny and Laboratory Project Manager Gavin Marsden to discuss the issue of lead in drinking water and the minimal threat the issue poses to Suffolk County. The discussion gets into the recent history of lead-related problems in other parts of the United States, and why Suffolk County doesn't have these same issues ...

The foundation of any government is to provide basic essential services to the public so that they have an opportunity to lead a safe and healthy life.  One of those services, one that is essential to life, is providing safe drinking water.  But how do people respond when government fails to provide those services? What choices are made when the public is suspicious of government and drinking water suppliers? What happens when priv...

Summer is over and for the second year in a row Long Island experienced a significant drought. In fact since just 2016, Long Island has experienced five summer droughts and with climate change we could see even more in the future. That means residents fighting against nature to keep their gardens blooming and their grass green with huge amounts of lawn watering. 

Today we are talking about droughts, long periods of dry weather that ...

Despite the significance of water in our lives, many people are unaware of the marvel that is the water cycle, and how it’s responsible for providing the continuous water supply that fills Long Island’s aquifers, the sole source of our drinking water.

Today, we’re going to talk about not just the water cycle, but how water enters our aquifers, is pulled to the surface, tested, treated and, finally, delivered to your home or business...

Today, we’re going to talk to experts from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency about the availability of funds for water infrastructure and how it will be invested. We’ll also cover other key topics, including the ongoing effort to replace lead service lines and the EPA’s ambitious effort to regulate one of the most pressing contaminant threats in the country, the threat to health caused by PFAS chemicals.

Host Jeff S...

February is Black History Month. During the month-long commemoration, various programs, events and activities are held to honor the rich history and contributions of Black Americans to society. In honor of Black History Month, SCWA has dedicated an episode of its podcast, to our journey to make Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging and Justice an integral part of our organization. 

Host CEO Jeff Szabo passes the microphone to our ...

Ever wonder how SCWA is capable of efficiently monitoring your drinking water supply all throughout the SCWA service territory? In our latest episode of our podcast, What About Water?, we delve into SCWA’s SCADA system and how it tracks tank levels and other important aspects of water supply. 

Host Jeff Szabo sits down with recently retired Paul Kuzman to talk about the history of SCADA (01:58). Jeff also speaks with curre...

SCWA’s tiered water rates were implemented to benefit the vast majority of SCWA customers, but how informed are customers regarding tiered water rates?  Host Jeff Szabo sits down with Deputy CFO Chris Cecchetto to talk about tiered water rates (02:31). Correspondent Theodore Aponte hits the streets of West Islip to find out what residents think and why (05:00). Finally, Jeff speaks with Glynnis Berry, LEED accredited professional a...

Bottled water is America's most popular drink, but is it really superior to tap water?  Host Jeff Szabo sits down with journalist Ryan Felton of Consumer Reports to talk about Felton's 2019 cover story "Is Bottled Water Safer" (00:59).  SCWA Director of Water Quality & Laboratory Services Kevin Durk tests a series of bottled water brands to see how they stack up against SCWA tap water (26:52). Correspondent ...

The majority of our infrastructure exists underground and out of sight. But there’s one critical piece of our operation that we keep above ground. Usually way…way…way above ground. 

In this episode, we give you an in-depth look at water towers. What they’re used for, how they work, what it takes to construct one, and so much more. We know they’re easy to spot, but trust us, there’s more than meets the eye. 

Host Jeff Szabo ...