New York State has released a final plan for a permanent drinking water source in Hoosick Falls to address PFOA contamination detected in 2016 in the Rensselaer County village’s water supply.
The Department of Environmental Conservation plan calls for developing two new groundwater supply wells and converting existing test wells south of Hoosick Falls into production wells. One current well would be retained in case of a primary outage. A transmission line from the new wells to the village water treatment plant along public rights of way would be built along with the continued operation of a filter treatment system.
"Today’s announcement is a significant milestone in our multi-year efforts to provide a permanent and clean water supply to the people of Hoosick Falls," DEC Commissioner Bail Seggos said in a statement. "From day one, we followed the science, addressed immediate risks, and worked closely with community leaders and residents to develop a long-term plan for a sustainable water supply in the village. DEC couldn’t have done this without Mayor Rob Allen and the dedicated members of the Hoosick Area Community Participation Work Group and we will continue to work together to advance this plan and continue to oversee ongoing cleanup efforts in the region.”
DEC says the companies responsible for the contamination – Honeywell and Saint-Gobain – are expected to implement the plan, under DEC oversight.
"While we are grateful to get to this important milestone, we remain focused on what more needs to be done, and will make every effort to continue to advocate for our residents and assure that protections are in place so that our supply will be forever protected against PFOA and any other type of contamination. Investigation and remediation will continue, and we will continue to take the view that an additional well drawing on the new uncontaminated source should be developed to serve as a backup to the new wells," Mayor Allen said in a statement. "That being said, we applaud the choice of water source as we continue our comeback and economic recovery from the stigma of water contamination."
Saint-Gobain, Honeywell and 3M agreed to a $65 million settlement with area residents earlier this year.
