Rep. Gillen Secures Over $1 Million for the Village of Hempstead’s Water Treatment System, Hosts Press Conference with Mayor

HEMPSTEAD, NY — Congresswoman Laura Gillen (NY-04) hosted a press conference alongside Village of Hempstead Mayor Waylyn Hobbs Jr., Trustee Tanya Carter and local resident Mary Purdie to announce $1,092,000 in federal funding secured for critical upgrades to the Village’s water treatment system.

This much-needed investment was delivered through a bipartisan Fiscal Year 2026 government funding package recently signed into law. In this bout of funding alone, Congresswoman Gillen has secured more than $3.2 million for New York’s Fourth Congressional District.

“The Village of Hempstead relies on a water treatment plant that is more than a century old and has been found to contain alarming levels of toxic, cancer-causing PFAS chemicals,” said Congresswoman Gillen. “For far too long, this issue was ignored, leaving residents without the clean, safe drinking water they deserve. I’m proud to have fought for and secured this funding, which will support critical upgrades to Hempstead’s water infrastructure, improve water quality and ensure a stronger, more reliable system for years to come.”

“This plant is over 100 years old … So we’re rehabbing this whole facility, to not just address one issue when it comes to delivering quality water for the residents of Hempstead, it’s addressing all issues,” said Village of Hempstead Mayor Waylyn Hobbs Jr. 

“We have wonderful people that we have elected and they have not forgotten about any one of us,” said Hempstead Village Trustee Tanya Carter. “When we turn on our tap water, we want to make sure that everyone is drinking safe water.”

“I want to thank everybody that helped with this project,” said Mary Purdie, Hempstead resident. “It was a hard, long process, but everybody's still on board. I'd like to thank the mayor, who's my friend in good trouble. And I'd also like to thank Congresswoman Gillen for she has been amazing for keeping up with this. A lot of people would drop off, but she never dropped off and I thank her so much because this is so important to all the people in the Village of Hempstead.”

At 74, Ms. Purdie became a passionate advocate for clean water in Hempstead after noticing a rise in cancer among her friends and neighbors, raising concerns about the safety of her own tap water. Determined to take action, she collected thousands of signatures from fellow Hempstead residents and shared her concerns with Rep. Gillen. Rep. Gillen pledged that, if elected to Congress, she would fight to ensure every resident of Hempstead and across Nassau County has access to safe, clean drinking water and later secure the federal investment in Hempstead’s water treatment facility upgrades.

In addition to securing over $1 million in federal funding for Hempstead’s water treatment system in the FY26 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies funding bill, Gillen also secured $1,092,000 for the City of Long Beach to replace aging sand filter tanks. This investment is critical to ensuring residents of Long Beach have access to safe, clean and reliable drinking water.