The New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation has announced that it has awarded the Suffolk County Water Authority $4.55 million in grant funding to support three Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) treatment projects designed to remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from drinking water. The funding continues SCWA’s multi-year effort to eliminate PFAS from the public water supply while limiting costs passed on to customers.

The 2026 Water Infrastructure Improvement Act (WIIA) grants support the following projects:

SCWA already meets the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s national 4-parts-per-trillion drinking water standard for PFAS ahead of the 2031 regulatory deadline. These new GAC projects move SCWA closer to its goal of treating all water delivered to customers to non-detectable levels.

Since 2019, SCWA has secured more than $116 million in state and federal grant funding to support water quality treatment, infrastructure upgrades and system expansion. This investment keeps customer rates among the lowest in New York while allowing SCWA to move faster than required for emerging contaminant treatment.

“Grant funding is critical to protecting water quality without putting the full cost on our customers,” said SCWA Chairman Charlie Lefkowitz. “These projects allow us to continue installing treatment systems, meet strict PFAS standards ahead of schedule and keep rates affordable. I want to thank the state for its continued investment in drinking water.”

SCWA Chief Executive Officer Jeff Szabo added, “We made a commitment years ago to get ahead of PFAS, not wait for mandates. This funding helps us continue that work and accelerates our ability to remove these compounds from drinking water while maintaining long-term financial stability.”