After PFAS contamination was first detected more than a decade ago, the Village of Hoosick Falls is now celebrating a new water supply. WAMC’s Samantha Simmons reports on the community that became the focus of a national conversation around clean drinking water.
Concerns over drinking water began in 2014, when a local resident tested his water after his father died of a rare form of cancer.
But it wasn't until 2016 that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed the presence of PFAS chemicals in the Hoosick Falls municipal water system.
The so-called emerging contaminants linked to local industrial sites were unregulated and, at the time, there wasn't much the village could do on its own.
On Monday evening, following years of investigations and litigation, the village switched on its new water supply.
Surrounded by residents, family members, and state officials who helped make remediation possible, outgoing village Mayor Rob Allen choked up as he discussed the hardships the community faced.
“I want to thank all of the families of our village's elected officials and our village employees,” Allen said. “They are the ones picking up the pieces and taking out more work so that we could do our important work for our village. I specifically want to thank my wife, Heather, who has had endured eight years of a distracted, overworked and overwhelmed husband, eight years of her own personal sacrifice and time lost for the benefit of the village and our community.”
Elected in 2017, Allen dedicated his time in office to fighting for clean water. Before that, Allen, who still works as a music teacher, became an advocate for clean drinking water in his community – urging leaders to seek environmental justice. Allen did not seek re-election in March's village races. The ceremony was a remarkable moment on the now former official's last day in office.
PFAS chemicals — including PFOA, the primary contaminant found in Hoosick Falls water — are used in a number of applications. The contamination was linked to the Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics facility in the village.
Long-time resident Michael Hickey was the person who sounded the alarm after his father's death.
Through tears, Hickey says the bonds created among villagers while fighting for their health are unbreakable.
“We're in a really good spot,” Hickey said. “You know, we know that we're safe for the water supply and all the other resources that we have coming in.”
Hickey thanked Saint-Gobain and Honeywell for taking responsibility for the cleanup.
“It's unfortunate what happened here, you know, but they did step up in the end, and they're continuing to have negotiations, and there's still work that needs to be done,” Hickey said. “It's not completely done, right? There are still things that need to be completed, but I think they stepped up and have done the right thing, and I think that they've made our community better, and they should be proud of themselves as well.”
Last year, Hoosick Falls broke ground on a 6,800-foot raw water transmission line that runs between the recently-developed LaCroix Wellfield and the village’s water treatment plant.
Interim New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton says her team's work over the past decade has alerted the agency about emerging contamination across the state. And she says the DEC is not done with Hoosick Falls.
“We are continuing to focus on remediation. So, we focused first, of course, on clean water. That was priority number one,” Lefton said. “Now we're continuing to go through the additional sites to do full testing, to know the full impact of the surrounding communities, so that we can continue to do remediation at every single site here.”
Since the discovery, private granular activated carbon filters (GAC systems) and point-of-entry treatment systems (POET systems) have been installed to filter out the toxins in residents’ homes.
Mayor Dan Schuttig, a village trustee and long-time resident, replaced Allen Tuesday. Schuttig says when the contamination was first identified, he was apprehensive.
“We all hear those stories sometimes, and it did turn out to be so it was, obviously it was, as a resident at the time, it was very concerning,” Schuttig said. “And thankfully, I had my wife as an engineer, so she was able to explain a lot of that stuff to me. And then joining the village board three years ago, it was nice to see the progression towards a final settlement.”
He says with incoming grants and settlements to be reached with Honeywell and Saint Gobain, the village is in good financial shape heading into this new chapter.
“It's nice to just see that whole thing come to a close. I think we're entering really a new timeframe for our village,” Schuttig said. “We have a lot of different funds coming in New York Forward and everything else that we can do some revitalization around here. Because to say that this sucked the air out of the room for a few years would be an understatement.”
PFAS contamination has been found in several New York communities including Petersburgh, Poestenkill, Newburgh, and Bennington, Vermont.
In statements from both Honeywell and Saint-Gobain, the companies say they are “pleased” with the construction of a new water supply and are both committed to coming to an agreement with the Village on the line’s operation and maintenance.
