Drinking Water Quality Council

Overview

The Drinking Water Quality Council (DWQC) was established by New York State Public Health Law § 1113 (PHL § 1113), to provide recommendations to the New York State Department of Health on emerging contaminants in drinking water. PHL § 1113 was enacted as part of several measures within the 2017-2018 State Budget designed to maintain and improve the quality of New York’s drinking water supplies and infrastructure. Standing at the forefront of the State’s efforts to protect public health from threats posed by emerging contaminants, the DWQC will address some of the most technically challenging aspects of environmental health and drinking water regulation.

DWQC meetings are open to the public. A public comment session will be held at the end of the meeting. Verbal comment is limited to 2 minutes. Meetings can be viewed live via webcast. Webcasts of the meetings are posted on our web site for one year within two weeks following the meeting.

Next Meeting Date and Location

Date TBD
Time TBD
Location TBD
Agenda
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Webcast Link
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Public Comment

Please click the webcasting link to sign-up for both in-person and remote public comment at the meeting. Advance sign-up for public comment will close on Friday 4/29 at 5pm and reopen again for same day sign-up on Monday 5/2 at 9am. For those who wish to make public comment remotely via Zoom, please familiarize yourself with these instructions.

Public comment can also be submitted in writing in advance of the meeting by e-mailing DWQC@health.ny.gov. Written comments received by close of business on April 28th will be given to DWQC Members prior to the meeting.

Mission

Providing science-based recommendations about emerging contaminants in drinking water to protect public health.

Charge

The council shall make recommendations to the department relating to:

  • (a) those contaminants, which the department may list as emerging contaminants pursuant to section one thousand one hundred twelve of this title.
  • (i) In determining what substances shall be recommended as emerging contaminants the council shall, at a minimum, consider:
  • A. unregulated contaminants monitored pursuant to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (42 USC § 300g-1) as amended from time to time;
  • B. substances that require regulation or monitoring when present in drinking water in other jurisdictions outside the state of New York;
  • C. pesticide chemicals for which the United States environmental protection agency has set human health benchmarks for drinking water;
  • D. substances found at sites in remedial programs located inside and outside the state of New York, including but not limited to inactive hazardous waste sites; and
  • E. waterborne pathogens and microbiological contaminants.
  • (ii) The council shall recommend a notification level for each recommended emerging contaminant.
  • (iii) The council shall recommend timeframes and frequencies in which testing should be required for the recommended emerging contaminants, allowing for variation based on circumstances such as the source of water, the region and size of the water system.
  • (iv) The council shall provide the department with its first list of recommended emerging contaminants and corresponding notification levels for which testing shall be required no later than one year from the initial meeting of the council, and the council shall update the list and recommend notification levels annually thereafter;
  • (b) a review of substances identified as emerging contaminants pursuant to section one thousand one hundred twelve of this title. Where appropriate the council shall recommend either a maximum contaminant level (MCL), or the removal of the substance from the list of emerging contaminants, on the basis of available scientific evidence and any other relevant factors;
  • (c) the form and content of public notifications issued pursuant to section one thousand one hundred twelve of this title;
  • (d) working with other state agencies and the federal government to ensure funds are available and accessible, parties known to be responsible for contamination are pursued, and mitigation, remediation, and cleanup projects occur in a timely manner;
  • (e) the development of educational materials regarding private well water testing;
  • (f) the appropriate use of, and methods and manner of conducting, biomonitoring and biomonitoring studies;
  • (g) the inclusion of information on the online tracking and mapping system established in section 3-0315 of the environmental conservation law; and
  • (h) anything else the department or the department of environmental conservation designates.

Membership

The DWQC consists of twelve nonpartisan and impartial members, consisting of representatives from government, academia, the public, and drinking water systems. Members of the DWQC are uniquely qualified, with expertise in drinking water, water resources, environmental conservation, environmental engineering, microbiology, toxicology, and health risk assessment.

The Governor's appointees are:

  • James V. McDonald, M.D., M.P.H., Acting Commissioner, New York State Department of Health (Designee: Gary Ginsberg, PhD, Director, Center for Environmental Health)
  • Basil Seggos, Commissioner, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (Designee: Dereth Glance, Deputy Commissioner, Office of Remediation and Materials Management, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation)
  • Daniel Lang, MS, PG, Deputy Center Director, Center for Environmental Health, New York State Department of Health
  • Alexander J. Smith, PhD, Section Chief, Water Quality Standards and Analytical Support Section, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
  • Stanley Carey, Massapequa Water District Superintendent, Long Island Water Conference Chairman
  • Sandra Nierzwicki-Bauer, PhD, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Darrin Fresh Water Institute Associate Director and Professor
  • Michelle Crimi, PhD, Dean of the Graduate School, Clarkson University
  • Julie Herbstman, PhD, Associate Professor, Dept of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University

Senate and Assembly appointees are:

  • Kris Dimmick, PE, PWLF, Resident Engineer, Fort Drum for US Army Corps of Engineers
  • Lori Emery, MPA, Director, Water Quality & Innovation, NYC Environmental Protection
  • Christopher N. Lake, MS, Executive Director, Community for a Cause
  • Sarah Meyland, JD, Associate Professor, New York Institute of Technology

Past Meetings

Date Location Webcast
Monday, May 2, 2022 Albany Capital Center, 2nd Floor, 55 Eagle St, Albany, NY 12210 and
Long Island Marriott, Skylight Suite, 101 James Doolittle Blvd, Uniondale, NY 11553		 Webcast
Thursday, March 10, 2022 Live Webcast due to COVID-19 Webcast
Tuesday, December 22, 2021 Live Webcast due to COVID-19 Webcast
Tuesday, October 5, 2021 Live Webcast due to COVID-19 Webcast
Tuesday, December 8, 2020 Live Webcast due to COVID-19 Webcast
Wednesday, February 4, 2020 The Albany Capital Center, Meeting Room 1A, 55 Eagle Street, Albany, NY 12210 Webcast
Wednesday, October 16, 2019 Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza, Meeting Room 4, Albany, NY 12242 Webcast
Tuesday, December 18, 2018 Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza, Meeting Room 6, Albany, NY 12242 Webcast
Wednesday, October 17, 2018 Public Service Commission Board Room, 4th Floor, 90 Church Street, New York, NY 10007 Webcast
Monday, Feb. 26, 2018 Baruch College, William and Anita Newman Conference Center, Room 750, 151 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10007 Webcast
Wednesday, November 29, 2017 Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza, Meeting Room 6, Albany, NY 12242 Webcast
Monday, October 2, 2017 SUNY Stony Brook, 100 Nicolls Rd Stony Brook, NY 11790 Webcast