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NYSDEC Announces It Will Bring Clean Water To Homes With Contaminated Wells On Long Island

WikiMedia Commons

Homes with wells tainted with the chemical PFOS on Long Island will be connected to a clean drinking water supply.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced Saturday that the state and U.S. Department of Defense will cover the cost of connecting 66 homes to the municipal water system in Westhampton Beach.

The homes are threatened by contamination from the nearby Gabreski Air National Guard Base, recently declared a New York Superfund site.

PFOS contamination has also been found in Newburgh, traced to Stewart Air National Guard Base.

PFOS is a sister chemical to PFOA, which has been found in water supplies in Hoosick Falls and Petersburgh, and Bennington, Vermont. The chemicals have been linked to ill-health effects. 

Lucas Willard is a news reporter and host at WAMC Northeast Public Radio, which he joined in 2011. He produces and hosts The Best of Our Knowledge and WAMC Listening Party.
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