Tests: Village water clean
Concerns expressed about new source of contamination
HOOSICK FALLS, N.Y. » Concerns that the village may have to contend with another source of contamination in its public water supply are unfounded, according to new environmental studies conducted by the village and county.
A source close to the situation confirmed Tuesday that testing conducted over the past month by a North Carolina company found no detectable levels of a chemical known as GenX, which went into production around 2010 as an alternative to perf luorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in the production of products including non-stick pans and firefighting foam. PFOA contamination was first identified in 2015 in both the municipal water system and in private wells, leading to a yearlong effort to remove the chemical through improved filtration and ongoing concern about the impact on residents’ health.
GenX was identified in 2016 as causing many of the same health problems as PFOA, including testicular cancer, kidney cancer, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis and pregnancyinduced hypertension. Studies suggest other possible health consequences, including a connection to pancreatic cancer. PFOA was used in the village for decades before the federal Environmental Protection Agency stepped in during 2006 and reached an agreement with several manufacturing giants, including DuPont Co., to virtually eliminate use of the substance.
Local residents and officials subsequently expressed concern that GenX was used at the Saint- Gobain Performance Plastics plant on McCaffrey Street, which was identified as a probable source of the PFOA contam-
ination first identified in 2015.
The test results come days after the village Board of Trustees voted to authorize attorneys to file a lawsuit on the village’s behalf against Saint- Gobain and Honeywell International, which was also connected to the contamination by state and federal officials. The village has been negotiating with the companies for more than a year to recover municipal costs related to the contamination, but no new proposal has been forthcoming since the previous village board rejected a $1 million offer recommended by then-mayor David Borge but roundly criticized as being too low.
Village residents and representatives also held a demonstration Friday at the state Capitol in Albany, where residents and supporters called on state officials to identify a new source for the municipal water system. Basil Seggos, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation, said after that protest that while the village has had PFOA-free water for more than a year, officials are continuing to look for a new groundwater source for the municipal system.