By SHANTAL RILEY sriley @ tcnewspapers . com

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation reports perfluorooctane sulfonate ( PFOS ) has all but disappeared from tap water after the city ’ s water source was switched to Brown ’ s Pond last week .

Environmental engineers continue to search for the source of the chemical in Silver Stream , which empties into the city ’ s water supply at Washington Lake .

“ As of now , we are still using water in Brown ’ s Pond ,” said City of Newburgh Mayor Judy Kennedy at the Newburgh City Council meeting on Monday . “ We are diligently looking for the source of the PFOS with the help of the Department of Environmental Conservation and other state agencies .”

Kennedy spoke about a week after City Manager Michael Ciaravino declared a state of emergency following the discovery of PFOS in the stream and very high levels of the chemical at a retention pond at the Air National Guard base at Stewart International Airport . The state of emergency was rescinded last Tuesday .

The city imposed stage-three water conservation measures in order to conserve the water . The measures remain in place while the water is still being drawn from Brown ’ s Pond .

City staff are working around the clock and in partnership with the state to address the water issue , Ciaravino said . Work now involves finding the exact source of the PFOS , gaining access to state funding , cleaning up Washington Lake , and looking into the possibility of drilling into Brown ’ s Pond aquifer .

“ PFOS was first detected in a drinkingwater sample collected by the City of Newburgh in December of 2013 ,” Kennedy said , reading from a letter addressed to the city council from the DEC and New York State Department of Health . “ That result and three additional samples collected by the city and analyzed by an EPA-certified laboratory in 2014 , showed PFOS at levels below the current provisional health advisory level set by the EPA .”

The Environmental Protection Agency has set a guideline limit of 200 parts per trillion for PFOS in drinking water . Tests performed by the DOH about a month ago revealed PFOS levels below the limit at 140 parts per trillion in City of Newburgh drinking water .

A record of water samples taken in and surrounding Washington Lake and Silver Stream in the last two months

Diversion gates to the Silver Stream Channel .

was shared at the meeting Monday . One test sample stood out . Taken at the Air National Guard Base retention pond at Stewart Airport on March 16 , the sample showed a level of PFOS at 5,900 parts per trillion .

This reading is a cause for alarm , said Ciaravino . “ A decision was made by me ,” the city manager said , referring to the state-of-emergency . The decision was made “ based on legal considerations , liability for a city manager knowing something and not acting on it ,” and for moral reasons , he said .

Funding for cleanup will likely be made available through the state Superfund program , said Ciaravino . “ There is a definite financial problem if we cut over to the Catskill Aqueduct ,” Kennedy said , at a city council work session last Thursday .

New York City-owned , the aqueduct water would cost $ 1,728.99 per million gallons , city Comptroller John Aber said , and the overage rate more than double that .

PFOS is one of 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 .

PFOS was banned in the U . S . in 2000 . The chemical was used in the production of fire-fighting foam , metal plating , cleaning products , hydraulic fluids for aviation and semi-conductors , according to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization .

PFOS are considered to be an “ emerging contaminant ,” and , unlike other environmental contaminants like lead , are not regulated by the EPA . “ These compounds are used in various chemical additives ,” said Chris Ericson , Orange County deputy commissioner of health . “ Whatever was being made , cleaning agents or fire-fighting tools , however they were being used , if they are not contained they will get into the environment .”

PFOS are extremely persistent in the environment , the CDC states , and “ 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 .”

The contaminant was found shortly after news emerged about the discovery of perfluorooctanoic acid ( PFOA ) in the drinking water in Hoosick Falls , Rensselaer County . The contaminant was linked to a plant that used to manufacture Teflon products . In certain studies , PFOA , another chemical in the group of PFCs ,

has been linked to cancer .

“ There is a significant difference between the two ,” said Ericson . “ The Hoosick Falls levels for PFOA were above the EPA threshold ,” he said , unlike the PFOS found in the City of Newburgh , which was below the guideline .

“ The Orange County Department of Health is working very closely with the city , state and federal agencies to help mitigate this problem ,” Ericson said . “ The safety and quality of the water is of utmost importance to us .”

Other issues were also presented by the water scare . “ They were coming down here on Tuesday to present this information to the city council ,” said Kennedy , speaking about state representatives from the state DOH and the DEC . “ You can imagine my shock and surprise when I got a call from one of these state partners that said , ‘ What is your city manager doing ? … He just declared a state of emergency .’”

By the state standards , Kennedy said , “ there was no state of emergency .”

Ciaravino did not tell the mayor or council members that he was going to declare a state of emergency , Kennedy said , and not all council members were let into the discussion with the state . “ There has been a serious issue with communication ,” Kennedy said .

Councilwoman Cindy Holmes described Ciaravino ’ s unilateral decision as “ embarrassing for our mayor and council .” At the meeting , however , residents praised the city manager ’ s decision , saying they were better off safe than sorry . “ I completely support it ,” said Marlon Ramos . “ That ’ s the main way the city has to get the word out ,” said Stuart Sachs .

Other residents said they felt protected and safer with a declaration . “ I take the criticism about the method by which I made the announcement ,” said Ciaravino , stating , in retrospect , he should have called a special meeting of the city council first .

When asked why the city ’ s water source had not been switched to Brown ’ s Pond when PFOS was first discovered by the state in 2013 , Kennedy explained , “ It was underneath the guideline … the flag was not raised . Now it is seen as a problem because it has continued .”

The state Department of Environmental Protection is expected to hold an informational meeting about the contaminant in the coming weeks , said city Water Superintendent Wayne Vradenburgh . A date is yet to be set .