What’s in your water? Maybe medicine
that was flushed down the toilet, chemicals seeping from a landfill, pesticides
or fuel. The path of contaminants from their source to our drinking water was
the issue at the center of the Newburgh Clean Water Project’s recent meeting.
Almost everyone who lives in or
near Newburgh is familiar with the water supply’s contamination with PFOS. Perfluorooctanesulfonic
acid is a key ingredient in firefighting foam and when it was identified in
Newburgh’s water supply from Washington Lake, the NYS DEC took action to identify
Stewart Air National Guard base as a source. The focus of the meeting of the Newburgh
Clean Water Project was to educate the public about the situation. Besides
offering a platform for discussion, the local action group gave a presentation on
local water contamination and prepped attendees with materials for letter
writing.
The chemical was first identified
in 2014 and since then the Stewart Air National Guard Base as a Superfund site
which requires it be cleaned up by the Department of Defense. The City offers
blood testing for residents, but PFOS testing is different than the lead
testing the general public is more familiar with. Not only are there fewer labs
that offer the service, but the tests require a doctor’s prescription.
Organizers proposed one solution: a public meeting at St. Luke’s hospital with
a doctor onsite to write prescriptions. Another interesting practice that was
discussed was the Department of Health’s tracking of test results. Though the
agency tracks cancer diagnoses and clusters, they don’t track non-cancer health
effects such as neurological and kidney issues caused by our environments.
These are studied by the Center for Disease Control.
It was fascinating to learn that
the City of Newburgh’s water system was designed in the 19th century
when the lands were natural and pristine. Since then, the advent of the
automobile and construction of the Interstate highway system moved the
transportation hub from the Hudson River westward toward the intersection of
I-84 and I-87.
Presenters referred to another case
of contaminated water in the village of Hoosick Falls in Rensselaer County. In 2015
community members contacted the government with concerns after their own
testing revealed contaminants, Perfluorooctanoic
Acid (PFOA) and Trichloroethylene (TCE), in the water. This led to the village’s
Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics,
its largest employer, to be placed on the EPA’s superfund site list. A Superfund
site is land identified as containing hazardous waste and has been identified
by the EPA as being a risk to human health and/or the environment. The sites
are put on a list and remediation is made a top priority.
The
group’s presentation included observances made during a recent walking tour of
the affected areas. Aerial maps showed how the City’s water supply is sourced
from outside its boundaries, limiting the City’s ability to legislate for its
own safety. It was fascinating to see an unlined capped landfill in New Windsor
that I didn’t know existed. Organizers explained the strategic designation of
wetlands in the heart of the region we were examining. Wetlands are important
for water purification, shoreline stabilization, ground water recharge, and they
act as protection from floods. The map indicated, in green color, a region of
wetlands sitting downhill from Stewart ANG base. The small splotches of green
indicated regions that measured 12 acres or less, which are classified as insignificant
wetlands. If the divisions caused by man-made roadways were combined, the wetlands
region would total 50-70 acres. The map showed the proposed Pilgrim Pipeline
project which would cut straight through the region.
The
group distributed materials to help attendees draft and mail letters to politicians
and the Department of Defense, and stressed the importance of asking smart and informed
questions to politicians who are already overwhelmed. They stressed that our
local water safety issue is at the same time an international issue. Urban
planners, businesses, and environmental activists worldwide have this same
discussion. It is possible to simultaneously have our businesses and clean
water, and it’s important to not hastily blame unethical decisions for the
contaminants in our water, but be mindful that they are perhaps simply the
result of poor planning. The group’s mission comes from a place of a long-term
solution: not fighting lots of small fires or having to renew the same fight
again in five or so years for yet another chemical.
Newburgh
Clean Water Project: www.facebook.com/newburghcleanwaterproject
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