Mid Hudson Times May 04 2016 | Page 2

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Mid Hudson Times , Wednesday , May 4 , 2016

PUBLIC AGENDA

TUESDAY , MAY 3 City of Newburgh Planning Board Work Session , 10 a . m . City Hall , 83 Broadway .

WEDNESDAY , MAY 4

New Windsor Town Board , 7 p . m . Town Hall , 555 Union Ave ., New Windsor .

THURSDAY , MAY 5 Newburgh City Council Work Session , 6 p . m . City Hall , 83 Broadway . Town of Newburgh Planning Board , 7 p . m . Town Hall , 1496 Route 300 , Town of Newburgh .

MONDAY , MAY 9 Newburgh City Council meeting . 7 p . m . City Hall , 83 Broadway .

TUESDAY , MAY 10 Newburgh Enlarged City School District Board of Education , 6-9 p . m . Board of Education Auditorium , 124 Grand St ., Newburgh

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The Mid Hudson Times , ( USPS 000-5947 ) is a weekly newspaper published every Wednesday at Newburgh , N . Y . 12550 , with offices at 300 Stony Brook Court , Newburgh , N . Y . . Single copy : $ 1 at newsstand . By mail in Orange , Ulster or Sullivan Counties : $ 40 annually , $ 44 out of county . Periodicals permit at Newburgh , N . Y . POSTMASTER : Send address changes to Mid Hudson Times , 300 Stony Brook Court , Newburgh , N . Y . 12550

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establishments , except at the specific request of a patron .

The city is currently working with Orange County and the New York State Department of Health to determine the exact source of the contamination , the mayor said . “ They only know it is coming in through Silver Stream ,” said Kennedy referring to the DOH .

The next steps are to continue to investigate the source of the contamination and determine the best option to avoid taking water from Silver Stream , which diverts into Washington Lake . “ There are several things we need to investigate ,” said Kennedy . “ The water restriction will be in place as long as we ’ re using water from Brown ’ s Pond .”

Kennedy said at no time has the level of PFOS been over the Environmental Protection Agency-guideline of 200 parts per trillion . “ We are under that ,” said Kennedy , noting tests showed PFOS levels of 140 parts per trillion in city water .

PFOS is among a group of chemicals known as perfluorochemicals . “ PFCs have been used for many years to make products that resist heat , stains , grease and water ,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states .

“ Because of their widespread use , most people in the United States have some PFCs in their body . Once the PFCs are in a person ’ s body , it takes about two to four years before those PFC levels go down by half , even if no more is taken in .”

“ In most cases , PFCs are not regulated by the U . S . Environmental Protection Agency ,” the CDC reports .

The City of Newburgh watershed is made up of three main areas - Washington Lake , Brown ’ s Pond and Patton Brook , with the Catskill Aqueduct serving as a backup source of drinking water .

Washington Lake is located in the Town of New Windsor . The town is not affected by the detected PFOS as it receives its drinking-water supply from the Catskill Aqueduct , said John Egitto , New Windsor ’ s chief water operator .

PFOS is one of many compounds that are required to be sampled under “ Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule ” testing , required by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act .

“ It ’ s a program implemented by the EPA ,” Egitto said . “ Generally , every couple of years the EPA will come up with a list of contaminants that are not

presently regulated or sampled for public water supplies .”

The Town of New Windsor was required to test its water supply for PFOS and other compounds in 2015 , Egitto said , and none were detected . The Town of Newburgh is also unaffected by the contaminant since its water supply is drawn from the Delaware Aqueduct .

The EPA categorizes PFOS as an unregulated contaminant . “ PFOS chemicals are no longer manufactured in the United States ,” the EPA reports . “ However , EPA ’ s significant new use rules allow for the continuation of a few , limited , highly-technical applications of PFOS-related substances where no known alternatives are available .”

Some human-health studies have found “ associations between prenatal exposure to PFOS or PFOA ( perfluorooctanoic acid ) and a range of adverse birth outcomes …” the EPA states , and “ findings from a limited number of studies suggest that exposure to PFOS or PFOA may have negative impacts on human thyroid function . However , there are inconsistencies in the findings between these studies .”

PFOS were previously discovered in the city ’ s drinking water in 2014 , Kennedy said . This year , the state tested for the chemical again , only testing was “ more diligent ,” she said . “ Drinking water here and everywhere else contains a certain number of contaminants ,” the mayor explained . However , not all are regulated to the same degree .

The mayor called on residents to follow to the water-conservation restrictions for the sake of saving water and money .

“ If we have to use water from the aqueduct , it will have a huge impact on the city budget ,” she said .

Residents attending the conference asked questions regarding the city manager ’ s decision to declare a state of emergency . Kennedy said the declaration was a “ surprise ” to city council members Monday and that Ciaravino was unable to attend the press conference due to a medical emergency .

Councilwoman Karen Mejia , said she supported the city manager ’ s decision to declare the state of emergency . “ I like to be an informed consumer , so I can make sound and healthy decisions for my family ,” she said . “ I would much rather be safe than sorry .”

The City of Newburgh has implemented Stage-3 water conservation measures . The measures restrict :

1 . The serving of water at a food service establishment , except at the specific request of a patron .

2 . The use of water for washing of paved surfaces , including but not limited to streets , roads , sidewalks , driveways , garages , parking areas , tennis courts and patios .

3 . The use of water for nonagricultural irrigation and watering of lawns , flower gardens , landscaped areas , trees , shrubs or other outdoor plants .

4 . The use of water for ornamental purposes , including but not limited to fountains , artificial waterfalls and reflecting pools .

5 . The use of water for noncommercial washing or cleaning of automobiles , trucks , trailers or any other vehicle .

6 . The use of water from a fire hydrant , except for fire-fighting or public health protection .

7 . The use of water for flushing of sewers or hydrants , except as deemed necessary for public health and safety .

8 . The use of water for watering or sprinkling any portion of a golf course .

9 . The use of water or steam for the cleaning of buildings or any other structures ’ exteriors .

10 . The use of water for the operation of iceskating rinks .

11 . The use of water for the commercial washing or cleaning of automobiles , trucks , trailers or any other vehicle by facilities which do not recycle water .

12 . The use of water for the filling or the operation of a swimming pool , partly artificial swimming pool , bathing beach or any swimming facility under permit pursuant to Part 6 of the New York State Sanitary Code , which is not open to the general public .

13 . The use of water in a residence in excess of 50 gallons per resident per day .

14 . The use of water in a commercial or industrial facility in excess of 75 % of said user ’ s average daily consumption for the immediately preceding 12 months .

15 . When the immediately preceding 12 months ’ daily average consumption for said water is not available , the average daily water consumption of said user for the 90 days immediately preceding the declaration of Stage II emergency shall be used .

16 . The use of water for residential agricultural purposes and golf course greens .

17 . The use of water for the filling or operation of a swimming pool , partly artificial swimming pool , bathing beach or any swimming facility .