ALBANY – A measure requiring complete public disclosure of monitoring reports related to public water wells receiving DEC permits has passed in the Assembly one month after passing in the Senate.
The bill, sponsored by Senator James Skoufis (D, Woodbury), was in response to local concern over the Kiryas Joel-owned Mountainville well.
If signed into law, the legislation will require the DEC to post result of well monitoring on its website along with all information related to water usage and conservation related to well permits.
“Our constituents deserve transparency and access to clean water,” said Skoufis.
From 2015 to late 2017, Woodbury, Cornwall, Cornwall-on-Hudson and a number of non-profits sought to challenge the DEC’s decision to permit the Mountainville well, claiming that pumping so much water would deplete nearby wells and drain the Woodbury Creek. Once the state appeals court ruled in KJ’s favor, Skoufis began working on the disclosure legislation.
