T IMES
MID
HUDSON
Vol. 30, No. 29
3
JULY 18 - 24, 2018
The Department of Defense has
released a long-awaited report on PFOS
contamination at Stewart Air National
Guard Base. The report confirms what
state tests confirmed two years ago: high
levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)
and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) exist at
locations on the air base and flow into the
City of Newburgh drinking watershed.
The data reveals that both chemicals
- also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl
substances or PFAS - are present at
high concentrations in groundwater,
“primarily in two areas of the site,” the
report states. Those two areas center
around Recreation Pond and a former
landfill at the base.
“PFAS groundwater contamination in
the southeast portion of the base appears
to be associated with the former base
landfill, which is located east/northeast
of the Recreation Pond drainage area,”
the report reads.
However, surface water results at a
tributary flowing from Recreation Pond
revealed the highest concentrations
detailed in the report: 48 times the EPA
health advisory level for PFOA and more
than 168 times the EPA advisory level for
PFOS.
Both chemicals were found in surface
water above the health advisory level
inside Recreation Pond, “and throughout
ONE DOLLAR
Junior
Nukes Cafe Spice
expanding
Page 36 Page 26
SERVING NEWBURGH AND NEW WINDSOR
DoD confirms PFOs at Stewart
BY SHANTAL RILEY
[email protected]
3
the Silver Stream network to the point
where it discharges to Lake Washington
through a diversion,” the report states.
Silver Stream flows directly to Lake
Washington, the main drinking water
reservoir for the City of Newburgh. In
2016, the lake was found to contain PFOS
levels more than double the EPA’s current
advisory limit.
The base is home to the New York
Air National Guard’s 105th Airlift Wing.
For years, the base served as a training
ground for firefighting with aqueous film
forming foam (AFFF) containing PFOS,
which was banned for most uses in the
early 2000s. According to the DEC, an
Continued on page 3
Gala under the stars
Brian Wolfe
Downing Park was all aglow Saturday for the annual fundraiser. Photos on pages 18 and 19.
Firefighters
protest budget
cut, layoffs
BY SHANTAL RILEY
[email protected]
Dozens of firefighters picketed, waving
signs outside of the City of Newburgh
Activity Center this month to protest
impending layoffs and possible shift
reductions at the City of Newburgh Fire
Department.
Passing cars honked at signs that
read “City Unfair to Firefighters” and
“City Council Fails Public.” Inside the
activity center, firefighter Rick LoCicero
addressed the Newburgh City Council.
“It’s regrettable that we need to be
picketing the City of Newburgh Council
meeting to make our voices heard,” he
said.
City overtime budgets for police and
firefighters were “cut by 50 percent with
no plan in place to make this happen,”
LoCicero said, causing more overtime.
“Now, we’re being portrayed as greedy
firemen.”
LoCicero noted overtime at the city
fire department had been the lowest in
years in 2017. “Our acting chief Ahlers
gave this city and comptroller surefire
solutions to help curb (overtime),” he
said. “They were given again and again...
but none of these overtime control
measures were implemented and were
hardly discussed.”
Many of the firefighters at the
activity center that night were from fire
departments outside of the city. “It’s a
united brotherhood. We support each
other,” said President of the International
Association of Fire Fighters Local
589 Brendan Hogan the next day.
“Unfortunately, the fire department is
looked at as an insurance policy that can
Continued on page 3
WWW.MIDHUDSONTIMES.COM