What About Water?

In episode 30 of ‘What About Water?’, SCWA CEO Jeff Szabo discusses the state of the Suffolk County Water Authority in 2026. This taped video address to employees has been converted into a podcast episode for our customers and listeners to enjoy.

In episode 29 of ‘What About Water?’, SCWA CEO Jeff Szabo sits down with Director of Construction/ Maintenance Brendan Warner and Construction/ Maintenance Superintendent Tom Rae to discuss main break season, the challenges crews face during the winter months and how SCWA responds to customer calls about main breaks. Later in the episode, we also here directly from SCWA crews about their experienc...

In episode 28 of ‘What About Water?’, SCWA Director of Communications and External Affairs Dan Dubois sits down with Kelly McClinchy, a Manorville resident who fought for years to bring public water to her neighborhood, and Jason Hime, Chief of the Office of Water Resources for the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, which works closely with us to identify at-risk wells through countywid...

In this emergency episode of ‘What About Water?’, SCWA Chief Executive Officer Jeff Szabo sits down with Michael O'Connell, SCWA Director of Production Control to discuss how SCWA's recent Stage 1 Water Alert impacts customers, businesses and our water infrastructure.

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 t...

In episode 26 of ‘What About Water?’, SCWA Deputy CEO of Operations Joe Pokorny sits down with Judy Hansen, former Superintendent of the City of Kingston Water Department and current legislative consultant for the New York Section of AWWA to discuss how Washington and Albany are shaping policy that impacts your drinking water.

In episode 25 of ‘What About Water?’, SCWA CEO Jeff Szabo sits down with Chris Niebling, Deputy Director of Laboratory Services, and Dan Dubois, SCWA’s Director of Communications and External Affairs to discuss SCWA's new water quality tool called ‘My Water Quality’, which lets customers get a personalized report on the water being delivered right to their tap.

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 l...

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 hist...

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 d...

In episode 21 of 'What About Water?', SCWA CEO Jeff Szabo sits down with Director of Strategic Initiatives Ty Fuller and Deputy Director of Production Control Phil Thompson to discuss topics surrounding conservation. The discussion delves into the complexities of maintaining our infrastructure during the hot, summer months and covers tips for how SCWA customers can conserve water this su...

In Episode 20 of ‘What About Water?’, we are answering questions from you, our customers. We asked you what you want to know the most about your drinking water. Our panel of experts are answering some of the most popular and interesting questions. We also have a snippet from SCWA Chairman Charles Lefkowitz's recent guest appearance on the TBR Podcast "Pressroom Afterhour".

In Episode 19 of ‘What About Water?’, we are answering questions from you, our customers. We asked you what you want to know the most about your drinking water. Our panel of experts are answering some of the most popular and interesting questions. 

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 wate...

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 drought...

We tend to talk about very local issues on this podcast, a very on the ground view of being a drinking water provider. But there is a huge amount of discussion at the national level about drinking water policy that will affect SCWA customers.  In today’s episode we sit down with AMWA CEO Tom dobbins to discuss drinking water on a national level.

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...

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 P...

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...

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)....

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 Be...

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 SCW...

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...

When you serve 1.2 million people, you're bound to get some questions. In this episode, host Jeff Szabo presents SCWA's most frequently asked questions, and brings you the answers from the experts themselves. Correspondent Seth Wallach spreads some holiday cheer (6:35). 

Funding for infrastructure is at the forefront of America’s collective consciousness. But what about water infrastructure?  What types of water infrastructure projects are needed locally? And how are they paid for? Host Jeff Szabo speaks with Maureen Coleman (6:10) President and CEO of the NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation to discuss grant funding opportunities and how the process works. Je...