KINGSTON – Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan, State Senator Michelle Hinchey and Assemblyman Kevin Cahill announced that they will be holding a public hearing to collect testimony from customers of the Hudson Valley Water Company, which serves five private water systems in Ulster County: Pine Hill, West Hurley, Boiceville, Rosendale and Mount Marion.
The hearing will take place on Thursday, June 23, at 5:30 p.m. at the Woodstock Elementary School. Testimony collected will be provided to the Department of Public Service investigation and to the Ulster County Department of Health which will review and address it with the State Department of Health.
“Ulster County residents have a right to clean drinking water and responsive customer service, and we cannot allow Hudson Valley Water Company to delay any longer on delivering essential needs. Once again, as Ulster County Executive, I will use my office to advocate on behalf of our residents and to ensure that everyone impacted is heard,” Ryan said.
“Access to clean water is a fundamental right, and yet for years, our community members–especially West Hurley residents–have suffered under the thumb of Hudson Valley Water Company, which has effectively abdicated its role to provide families with reliable water and the level of customer service they deserve,” Hinchey said. “While I’m fighting in the State Legislature to advance my bill, The Small Water Utility Transparency Act, this hearing is a profoundly important step we can take right now to collect residents’ testimonies and ensure their experiences are brought to DPS for investigation.”
“To ensure the Public Service Commission has the full picture of customer experience to examine as part of the ordered compliance plan, our office has joined with County Executive Ryan and Senator Hinchey to ensure consumer voices are heard and appropriate measures are taken to deliver reliable service,” said Cahill.
“Nearly two years after the Department of Public Service released the findings of their probe and ordered a compliance plan with 49 corrective fixes, HVWC’s customers are still concerned that the water company is failing to provide safe and adequate water service in West Hurley,” said Laurie Wheelock, deputy executive director of the Public Utility Law Project of New York. “The stories and testimonies to be collected will help regulators decide if the Company is in adherence to the Commission’s 2020 order, and if not, which further corrective action needs to be ordered.”
