ALBANY – In the wake of a NYPIRG report that said there are dozens of emerging chemical compounds potentially contaminating public water supplies, Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson (D, Newburgh) suggested testing and hooking up to an alternate water source.
When he was on the Newburgh City Council, Jacobson urged connection to the New York City Catskill Aqueduct and instead of at some point reverting to the city’s Washington Lake he continues to believe Newburgh should remain on the aqueduct permanently.
With the migration of water in streams containing PFOS and PFOA, Jacobson has advice to area communities.
“Contaminated water doesn’t care about Assembly lines or State Senate district lines; it just flows where it can go,” Jacobson said. “I am hoping that other municipalities in the area would have their water tested and if need be also hook up to the Catskill Aqueduct or the Delaware Aqueduct or whatever can be done to assure that everyone is drinking safe water.”
Newburgh is currently using water from Brown’s Pond as the aqueduct is undergoing maintenance.
Recently, the Town of New Windsor switched over to the aqueduct because its newest wells, Butterhill, were found to have low levels of PFOA and PFOS.
