"Underground Gas Leaks Are Poisoning Long Island's Drinking Reserves"

"Long Island has a drinking problem.

It’s a problem that is rarely discussed outside of water districts and scientific circles. Hundreds of gasoline spills, which contain carcinogens like benzene, are reported each year in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Countless others go unreported or unnoticed. Cleaning them up can run into the millions and take decades to complete. Those responsible are rarely prosecuted in legal tug of wars that seem to go nowhere, while water companies are constantly testing the waters for an invisible enemy that could show up at any time, without any warning and with unknown consequences."

Jaclyn Gallucci reports for the Long Island Press November 5, 2009.