Gillibrand briefed on water contamination

Senator Gillibrand was briefed about the ongoing problem of water contamination from the Stewart Air National Guard Base.

TOWN OF NEWBURGH, N.Y. >> Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was briefed about the ongoing problem of water contamination from the Stewart Air National Guard Base during a visit to the base Monday.

In 2014, perfluorooctanesulphonate (PFOs) contamination was detected in Lake Washington, the City of Newburgh’s primary water supply, the source of which was determined to have come from the foam used by base firefighters. A state of emergency was declared by the Newburgh city manager in 2016. The city now gets its water through the Catskill Aqueduct.

An eight-week timeline has now been established to get a new filtration system up and running at the Guard base, with a timeline of testing and cleanup to follow.

“We want to make sure we have the resources we need to clean up those contaminates to make sure everyone in these communities has access to safe drinking water,” the senator said. “This is a good start, but anytime you are talking about contaminants in water, it requires long-term monitoring, requires testing of wells, testing of different water systems. So this will be a collaboration between the military and the federal government, state DEC and local communities.”

PFOs do not break down in the body and can be present for many years in the bloodstream.

PFOs can also cause kidney and testicular cancer, as well as affect the liver, thyroid, immune systems, and development of fetuses.

“I hope we can get to a place where this is no PFOs in the water,” said Gillibrand. “It’s really important we elevate this issue, demand the science be documented.”