Construction began Wednesday to ensure a Rensselaer County middle school has access to clean water.
The $6.2 million project to expand Poestenkill Water District #2 will bring municipal water to over 100 nearby properties, including Algonquin Middle School.
In January 2021, well testing revealed elevated levels of forever chemicals PFOA/PFOS at the Averill Park school district building. The district installed a filtration system and switched to bottled water.
Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin was among the officials attending the groundbreaking on the water district expansion.
“Clean water is about as basic as it gets, so I think everybody here is just happy to see that moving forward,” said McLaughlin.
The project is supported by state, federal, and local funding. Construction is slated to finish by the end of the year.