by Deb Alter
On Wednesday, December 2, The Immaculate Conception Parish Hall was crowded with Village residents for an Open House sponsored by the Village of Hoosick Falls. Its purpose was to better inform residents about the PFOA water issue. [private]
There is no doubt that many are concerned about the health hazards that can be caused by PFOAs; residents are getting mixed messages about how safe it is to drink the water, or to use it for cooking. The contaminant is unregulated, but there is some evidence that it could be linked to health problems. People came with many questions hoping to get answers, facts, and helpful information, and to talk to people with different expertise and opinions.
Attendees who were there that evening were able to speak with, and ask questions of, representatives from state and county regulatory and governmental agencies, a concerned citizens group (Hoosick Healthy Water) and their attorney, the Hoosick Falls Water Department, Saint Gobain, and C.T. Male, the engineering firm that is designing the new water treatment system that will remove the PFOAs, and Tops Supermarket, who have been engaged to distribute the free bottled water to citizens who want it.
At the November 10 Village Board meeting, it was announced that Saint Gobain will provide the funds necessary for a permanent carbon filtration system for the Village water plant as outlined by the Village. In addition, they will pay for bottled water for Village residents until a filtration system is in place and working.
The carbon filtration system and provision of bottled water were both among the recommendations in a letter from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) received by Mayor Dave Borge a week or two later. Copies of the letter were available at the Open House. The letter said that although the EPA does not regulate PFOA contamination, they have put forth a “Provisional Health Advisory” which recommends that action be taken to reduce exposure when concentrations of PFOA exceed 400 parts per trillion. Several of the samples taken from the public water system exceeded 600 parts per trillion.
The letter also asked the Village to change several inaccurate statements about PFOAs on its website, and said the EPA will be working with New York State agencies (DEC and DOH) to investigate the nature and extent of contamination, to identify the source of the contamination, and to do a feasibility study about cleaning it up.
Most people feel that Saint Gobain is doing the right thing in coming forward to remediate the problem. “Saint Gobain has been wonderful,” said Dr. Marcus Martinez, chairperson of Hoosick Healthy Water, a local concerned citizens’ group that is represented by attorney David A. Engel from Albany. “They bought the property (in 1999) and it was already contaminated. They didn’t purposely contaminate our water, but they’re stepping up to help fix it,” he continued. “We felt it was important to move forward with a solution knowing the GAC system could solve this problem,” said Saint-Gobain General Manager Julia DiCorleto. Saint Gobain has not used any materials containing PFOAs since 2003.
Engel said that his group would welcome the opportunity to work with the Village, but, “it’s up to them.” Saint Gobain’s DiCorleto said that they have had some talks with Hoosick Healthy Water but, “ultimately, the Village is responsible for the water, so we are working directly with them.”
Martinez did, however, express some disappointment with the Village leadership about what he called the slow pace of addressing the problem. He said that the PFOA situation was first brought to the attention of the Village Board in August of 2014 and it’s taken nearly a year and a half to get this far. Martinez feels that it should have been remediated much more quickly. And, he said, the Village should not be telling folks it’s okay to drink the water; according to him, it’s not. “The Village has been downplaying this for too long,” he said.
According to a fact sheet distributed by the NY State Department of Health, “PFOA is used in consumer products and is found in low levels in the blood of most Americans.” The report went on to say that “Human studies show that increased exposure to PFOA might increase the risk for some health effects…the results have not been consistent.” They said that they determined that there are PFOA levels in the Hoosick Falls public water system, but that “Health effects are not expected to occur from normal use.” They do, however recommend that measures be taken to reduce people’s exposure to PFOA.
Mayor Borge has said that the Village wanted to make sure the research was done properly and thoroughly so that the solution would be real and permanent. Although not required to do so, the Village tested its wells for the contaminant after a private citizen had his water tested and it had higher than recommended levels of PFOA. Then the research began; the village worked with County and State agencies and followed their guidelines and advice. Martinez posted that since the research had already been done in other states, (New Jersey, Ohio, and West Virginia, for example) and since science and medicine have no borders, and even though NY State has no requirements for remediation, they are still necessary and should have been acted on immediately. He does, however, think that it will be “all good once the fix is in place.”
Not everyone agrees with Martinez about the Village’s role in the process. Many, like Bea Peterson, have confidence in how the local government has been handling things. ”It’s not like they’re not trying to do something. The Village is taking a very proactive approach,” she said. And, according to representatives from the County and State Health Departments, there are several other communities in New York that have similar industrial histories and are having similar water issues, but Hoosick Falls has by far been the most aggressive community in taking action to address the problem and find a solution. “Hoosick Falls is much farther along in the remediation process,” said John Emery of the State Health Department.
The MRB engineering firm was hired by the Village and has done much of the research, and they are 100% certain that the carbon filtration system that will be installed at the Village’s water treatment plant is the best solution. “It’s proven technology,” the representative Dave Lukas said, “it will unequivocally remove all of the PFOAs from the water.” The most effective way to be sure the water is contaminant-free is to filter it when it comes out of the plant. Any other way to fix the problem, such as drilling new wells, leaves more opportunity for contamination to reappear.
The Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) system will be housed inside a new building that will be constructed on the Water Treatment Facility property on Waterworks Road. Inside the building will be two 25-foot tall towers which contain huge carbon filters which will be synced with the water pumps. All water that goes out to consumers will be run through both of the filters. The MRB rep explained that they work much like the PUR or Brita filters people put on their faucets, only much, much bigger and more complex in order to handle the Village water system. The Village Water Department staff is already trained and certified in how to run the equipment.
The target date to get the filters online is October 2016. C.T. Male Associates, the engineering firm hired by Saint Gobain to conduct the testing and design the solution, is recognized nationally and very well respected. Daniel P. Reilly, P.E., C.T. Male’s Managing Environmental Engineer was on hand at the meeting with schematics and data to show and support the GAC system that will be put in place in Hoosick Falls. Even after the GAC system is installed and up and running, they will continue to monitor for contaminants.
In the meantime, Village residents can get up to five gallons of water per day for free at Tops Supermarket. The process is simple. Just go to the Service Desk, sign the log, and receive the vouchers. Choose between Best Yet and Poland Springs gallons, and Best Yet 2.5 gallon containers. Distilled water, Fluoride water, and Poland Springs 2.5 gallons are not included. You must go through the checkout even though you won’t be charged. Tops Manager Randy Howe said they have given water to about 500 people, about 1,500-2,000 gallons.
Mayor Borge said that various local groups, including the Boy Scouts, will be helping the bottled water effort by picking up the water at Tops and delivering it to home-bound residents, the elderly at the Wood Park apartments, and others who need help.
Although there are still “t’s to be crossed and i’s to be dotted” by the Village and Saint Gobain attorneys, the process of building the filtration system continues to move forward.[/private]