Mid Hudson Times Aug. 17 2016 | Page 4

4

Mid Hudson Times , Wednesday , August 17 , 2016

Stewart ANG Base declared a Superfund site

By SHANTAL RILEY sriley @ tcnewspapers . com

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has declared Stewart Air National Guard Base a state Superfund site .

“ Through this determination , DEC has identified the U . S . Department of Defense as a potentially responsible party for the perfluorooctanesulfonic acid ( PFOS ) contamination detected in the area and in the City of Newburgh ’ s public drinking water supply ,” the DEC stated Friday . “ DEC will use its full authority under the state Superfund law to ensure expedited site clean-up .”

The agency also reports it has identified an area of adjacent Stewart International Airport as “ a potential Superfund site .”

Very high levels of PFOS were detected at the air base in the weeks before the city was forced to stop drawing water from Washington Lake . “ The state ’ s preliminary site investigation has identified portions of Stewart Air National Guard Base as a significant source of the PFOS contamination found in Lake Washington , which had served as the City of Newburgh ’ s primary water supply ,” the DEC stated .

“ Some of the highest concentrations of PFOS detected to date - nearly 5,900 parts per trillion ( ppt ) - were found in an outfall from the Air National Guard Base that drains into Silver Stream , a primary tributary of Lake Washington .”

The DEC states the city collected four drinking-water samples detecting PFOS in amounts ranging from 140 and 170 ppt beginning in December 2013 , to October 2014 .

“ Although all samples were below the EPA ’ s provisional short-term health advisory of 200 ppt , in place until recently , the New York State Department of Health ( DOH ) proactively engaged the city in March , 2016 , to retest the public water supply and confirmed the presence of PFOS ,” the DEC reported .

The March samples showed PFOS levels at the city water filtration plant of 146 to 155 ppt . The EPA lowered its health advisory limit for PFOS from 200 to 70 ppt in May , soon after testing results became known to the public .

Accountability enforcement

PFOS is unregulated by the EPA . Except for limited use , the chemical was banned in the U . S . in 2000 . The chemical was used in fire-fighting foam , cleaning products , sealants and hydraulic fluids , among other industrial products .

The air base , which houses the 105th Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard , operates under the Department of Defense .

“ The City of Newburgh and its residents deserve clean drinking water ,” Senator Chuck Schumer said at a press conference held at Washington Lake last Tuesday . “ They deserve to know their children are safe and they deserve to see those responsible pay for the cleanup .”

Washington Lake .

Schumer announced plans to introduce a bill to require the Air Force to immediately conduct tests to determine the extent of groundwater contamination in and near the City of Newburgh . The legislation would require the Department of Defense to pay for the cleanup if it was found responsible .

According to a press release from Schumer ’ s office , the bill would also require an “ expedited timeline detailing the immediate steps ” to mitigate the contamination .

“ Signs clearly point to the operations at the Stewart Air National Guard Base as the source of this pollution , so the Air Force needs to immediately conduct tests to determine the extent of this contamination , clean it up and , if found culpable , pay for the mitigation ,” Schumer said .

It was yet unclear this week how the Superfund declaration might affect the proposed legislation .

The U . S . military is currently conducting a review of military bases around the country to test for PFOA and PFOS contamination stemming from the use of fire foam .

Infrastructure costs , blood tests

Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney was one of the first government officials to point to the air base as the probable source of contamination , calling on the Department of Defense to investigate in May . On Monday , Maloney described the Superfund designation as “ a critical step towards ensuring full remediation .”

“ After successfully getting the Department of Defense to make Stewart ANG Base their first priority nationwide , I ’ m optimistic that also being designated as a superfund site by the DEC means we can finally get to the bottom of this issue , ensuring Newburgh has access

to clean and safe drinking water ,” Maloney said .

In a July letter to the DOH , City Manager Michael Ciaravino wrote , “ we believe there is adequate justification for the Department of Health to institute a biological testing program and health assessment study in the City of Newburgh .”

So far , there has been no solid commitment by the DOH to offer blood testing to city residents .

However , the DEC has pledged to pay up to $ 11.5 million to cover the city ’ s costs for water from the New York City-owned Catskill Aqueduct . The city began drawing water from Brown ’ s Pond in May and switched to aqueduct water a few weeks later . “ They are actually going to give us $ 2.4 million up front ,” explained city Comptroller Katie Mack to the Newburgh City Council this month .

The agreement covers a period between June of this year and November , 2017 , said Mack . With consent from both parties , the contract may be extended for two , oneyear periods , she said . “ At this point , we ’ re confident that , for the period of the contract , the city will not incur any expenses for the daily draws on the Catskill Aqueduct ,” the comptroller said .

According to Ciaravino , the DEC plans to pay for and install a new , granular-activated carbon filtration system at the city ’ s water filtration plant and a direct connection from the aqueduct to the pump station at Brown ’ s Pond .

Last week , DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said the agency has made it a “ top priority ” to reduce residents ’ exposure to PFOS . “ With today ’ s Superfund announcement , we are now poised to ensure that the Department of Defense develops and finances expedited cleanup plans to address this contamination ,” Seggos said .