NEW PALTZ – The condition of the municipal drinking water in the Village and Town of New Paltz may not be as bad as first thought.
The system was placed off-limits on Monday when a sheen was located at one reservoir, but following state health department testing, things are looking up, said Ulster County Executive Patrick Ryan.
The preliminary results show that there were non-detectable levels of any petroleum compounds in multiple parts of the water system, so what that essentially means is that it is not the all-clear yet, but it’s very encouraging and now we begin the next steps to get to a final remediation,” he said.
The investigation has determined the source of contamination was a compromised underground fuel line for the village’s water treatment plant heating system.
The system was flushed Wednesday and more testing will be conducted before any final decision is made to go back to the municipal system. In the meantime, officials said people should continue drinking trucked in water.
