A village on Long Island is taking major steps to clean its contaminated water supply — and it’s largely thanks to the persistence of a 72-year-old grandmother.
Mary Purdie spent two years going door to door in Hempstead, collecting 500 signatures and calling on officials to address the presence of toxic chemicals in the village’s drinking water. Her grassroots efforts drew attention to the issue and helped spark a roughly $60 million water system upgrade.
“My thing is: How come so many people in Hempstead are dying from cancer?” Purdie said. “Like, wait a minute, something is wrong in this picture.”
For years, Purdie says, residents’ concerns were ignored as the community questioned potential links between cancer and so-called “forever chemicals” in the water. Now, change is underway.
On Monday, local leaders praised Purdie’s advocacy during a news conference at the village water plant, which serves about 59,000 residents.
“Part of the reason we are here today is the grassroots activism of people like Miss Purdie,” said Congresswoman Laura Gillen.
Water system supervisor Steve Giardino said that upgrades will begin in the spring to modernize the village’s water plant, which is more than a century old.
“It’s very important because we have to get clean water to all the village,” Giardino said. “All the wells have some detection of PFAS and some 1,4-dioxane.”
The project will bring new filtration technology to remove dangerous pollutants — including PFAS, a group of long-lasting chemicals known to resist breaking down in the environment and the human body.
“We’re rehabbing this whole facility to not just address one issue when it comes to delivering quality water,” Hempstead Mayor Waylyn Hobbs said. “It’s addressing all issues.”
The overhaul is expected to take up to four years to complete. Funding includes $1 million in newly announced federal support pledged by Rep. Gillen, as well as an additional $1 million from Nassau County. New York State is covering more than half the cost of the project.
For Purdie, the progress is welcome, but overdue.
“People are dying here, you know, and this is really sad,” she said. “I’m very passionate about it and won’t stop until it gets done.”
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC New York. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC New York journalist edited the article for publication.
