3
Mid Hudson Times, Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Dept. of Defense confirms PFOS presence at Air Base
Continued from page 1
accidental release of 4,000 gallons of the fire foam
occurred at the air base in 1990 and a major fire took
place at the base in 1996. Along with smaller releases
of fire foam, both incidents are believed to be major
contributors to contamination at the base, declared a
state Superfund site in 2016.
The report states PFOS and PFOA were also found
above the EPA health advisory limit at a nozzle testing
area, the base’s current fire station, former fire station, a
retention basin that receives runoff from several hangars
where fire foam releases were documented, and two
storm water outfalls emptying into Recreation Pond.
The DEC identified these polluted sites in 2016, but their
test results were not enough to motivate the Department
of Defense, which insisted on doing its own investigation,
to take action to remediate polluted locations on the base.
Perfluorinated chemicals continue to flow from the pond
into the local watershed.
State officials appeared unimpressed by the report
this month, saying it doesn’t do enough to address
the contamination at the base or in the watershed.
“While we are still reviewing this report, it’s clearly
just another case of ‘too little, too late,’ and falls
well short of the comprehensive investigation that is
needed to fully identify the scope and extent of the
contamination and advance cleanup measures to stop the
flow of contamination emanating from the base,” DEC
Commissioner Basil Seggos stated last week.
A state DEC map outlining areas of PFOS releases at Stewart air base.
“DoD has wasted the last two years confirming what
we already know from the state’s investigation in 2016.
It’s time for DoD to get serious and begin taking actions
to clean up their mess.”
The report makes no direct reference to steps for
cleanup or remediation. However, it does recommend
continued evaluation of surface and groundwater PFAS
at Recreation Pond and outfalls to and from the pond.
The report also recommends monitoring PFAS migrating
from the former base landfill and other areas identified
with elevated levels of the chemicals.
Prepared by Amec Foster Wheeler Environment and
Infrastructure Solutions, the report details results from
tests carried out by consulting engineers in 2017 and 2016.
Firefighters protest budget cut, layoffs
Continued from page 1
be dropped whenever they need more
money.”
Hogan said the trigger for the protest
was a discussion by the Newburgh City
Council at City Hall on July 5, when
Mayor Torrance Harvey spoke about
the possibility of taking a fire truck off
duty overnight as a means for saving on
overtime. “Is that possible Chief Ahlers?”
the mayor asked at the meeting.
“From my standpoint, no,” Ahlers said.
“Part of the reason to have us on duty is
to get us there in minutes. By taking a rig
out of service, we would have to depend
on mutual aid.” The last time the fire
department called for mutual aid, help
took 20 minutes to arrive, Ahlers said. “I
would not recommend it,” the fire chief
said.
One of Ahlers’ recommendations is to
have the city promote an officer to the
position of assistant chief. To promote
an officer to assistant chief would cost
slightly over $18,000 a year, he said,
but save an estimated $40,000 a year
Firefighters from around the Hudson Valley rally at the City of Newburgh Activity Center to
voice opposition to impending layoffs and possible shift reductions at the City of Newburgh
Fire Department.
in overtime. “We would be able to use
that position to plug overtime, possibly
more, depending on negotiations with
the union,” Ahlers asserted. Ahlers
also recommends at least one officer be
promoted to a lieutenant. “That would
cover overtime for company officer
positions,” Ahlers explained Friday.
“My concern is that we’re talking about
a budget of (almost) $400,000,” said Mack.
“A savings of $15,000 or $30,000, with
regards to overtime, is not going to be
sufficient enough for us to sustain this
budget model that we have.”
Currently, the department’s overtime
budget is over by about $144,000, the
comptroller later said. Mack explained
the city and fire department will need
to agree to implement changes or face
mounting costs. “If we can’t reach an
agreement about how we can re-invent
the fire department, then the budget lines
for overtime will go back up again next
year,” she said.
Ahlers’ recommendations will be
reviewed by both the city manager and
the city’s labor attorney, who is currently
negotiating a new contract with the
firefighters’ union, said Mack. The two
will also review Mack’s own money-
saving recommendation s on department
overtime.
The fire department faces layoffs of
nine firefighters, expected to be let go
at the end of the month with the end
of funding from a federal Staffing for
Adequate Fire and Emergency Response
(SAFER) grant. Earlier this year, the city
applied for another SAFER grant in an
effort to keep the firefighters on. The city
expects to be notified on the status of the
application in the next couple of weeks,
Mack said.