WASHINGTON – The Department
of Defense has released its report on the Stewart Air National Guard Base
PFOA contamination of the Newburgh city water supply.
It had been determined that the carcinogenic chemical had leaked into
the city’s Washington Lake reservoir on the New Windsor/Town of
Newburgh line.
The DoD had refused to take responsibility or commit funding to remediate
the problem pending the outcome of their own report even though the state
Department of Environmental Conservation had conducted its own study.
Now, the DoD has completed its report, which US Senator Charles Schumer
said “was like pulling teeth.” He had been pushing for the
DoD to take responsibility for the pollution from day-one.
“This report must be immediately shared with the public and environmental
experts so we can quickly understand the extent of the contamination and
peruse the quickest and most effective ways to remove these toxins from
our drinking water systems,” the senator said on Thursday.
“The toxic PFOA threat to public health cannot be allowed to drag
on,” Schumer said.
Ever since the city learned of the contamination, City Manager Michael
Ciaravino shut off the reservoir and for over a year the state has been
paying for Newburgh to secure its drinking water from the New York City
Catskill Aqueduct.
