HFCS Students Make Plea To Governor And Get Immediate Response
by Alex Brooks
On Thursday, February 11, New York State DEC declared Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics and Honeywell International responsible for the cost of the investigation and cleanup of PFOA contamination in the water in Hoosick Falls. [private]This action was the conclusion of the preliminary investigation of the sources of PFOA contamination undertaken by DEC over the last four weeks. Honeywell is the successor company to Allied Signal, which operated a number of facilities using fluorocarbons in Hoosick Falls from 1986 to 1996.
DEC sent a letter to Saint-Gobain and Honeywell demanding that they enter into binding consent orders to implement and finance the investigation and remediation of the contaminated sites. The demand letter is the first step in the process of developing a consent order under which the companies would be held responsible for cleanup costs.
The companies could refuse to cooperate, in which case DEC would go to court against them, but both companies have been cooperative so far and offered to pay cleanup costs prior to receiving this demand letter, so the likely scenario is that attorneys for the two companies negotiate with DEC to craft a Consent Order that they are willing to sign.
The next day, Friday February 12, The Hoosick Falls Central School called an “Emergency Press Conference” which brought the media out in force. It turned out to be an assembly at which a dozen juniors and seniors at the High School gave a presentation on their understanding of the PFOA situation and issued an impassioned plea to the Governor to allocate funds immediately for “a new water source.”
With five or six TV cameras rolling, several of the students articulately and poignantly expressed their anguish at learning that the water they have been drinking all their lives may be dangerous and could possibly give them cancer. They expressed frustration because they felt that government at all levels was not moving quickly enough to address the problem. They did not say much about the filtration system that is about to come online in the Village water system, but they seemed to have little faith in filtration as a strategy, as their focus was on convening hydrologists and engineers to “locate a new water supply, design the infrastructure, and complete all construction in 12 months.” Their press release ended with this plea: “We the students of Hoosick Falls Central School, ask the Governor of our great state to come to our assistance as he alone is the only one that can make this happen. We will await the Governor’s response.”
They didn’t have to wait very long. Later the same day, Governor Cuomo authorized an emergency allocation of $10 million from Superfund and promised an expeditious and transparent planning process in the search for “a possible alternate water supply” for the Village of Hoosick Falls. He said the alternate water supply might potentially be new or deeper wells within the Town of Village determined to be free of PFOA contamination, or other clean water sources in areas outside the Town of Village.
In addition, Cuomo announced that the State will purchase and install water filtration systems for approximately 1500 homes in the Town of Hoosick if the homeowners wish to have such systems installed. The Governor said, “These particular carbon-based filtration systems have been shown to reduce PFOA levels in water to below two parts per trillion.”
“Protecting the health of New Yorkers is paramount,” said Governor Cuomo. “My administration is taking aggressive action in Hoosick Falls because no one should have to question the safety of their water. We are working closely with our local partners, and will continue to take all necessary steps to safeguard the public health.”
The State Department of Health has begun offering free blood testing for community members who wish to be tested. For more information on this testing service, and to make an appointment for a blood test, residents should call 800-801-8092, email BEOE@health.ny.gov, or visit the DOH website here.
Cuomo’s press release said, “The Village’s temporary treatment system is now installed and undergoing disinfection and testing. Once all testing is complete in the coming weeks, this system will provide drinking water for the Village until the planning is finished and permanent water system is in place.”
“While no PFOA has been detected in the Hoosick Falls Central School District school’s water, the State has already committed to install a water filtration system at the school as the Superintendent requested. This project should be completed within the next two weeks.”
Mayor Borge said, “I commend Governor Andrew Cuomo’s decision today to allocate state funding for an alternate water supply in the Village of Hoosick Falls. It’s a sign of true leadership and should reassure the community that government officials are acting quickly, with great resolve and at great expense to ensure their safety.
“With today’s announcement, New York State is pursuing a four-pronged approach to address the presence of PFOA in Hoosick Falls: a carbon filtration system for the water treatment plant; an investigation of the source of PFOA in our community; health studies to understand what exposures have occurred; and now, an alternate drinking water supply. The Hoosick Falls Village Board is committed to continue working with Governor Cuomo, the state Departments of Health and Environmental Conservation, EPA, Saint-Gobain, residents and other stakeholders to ensure positive progress on each front.”
“Our local students brought this issue to everyone’s attention today. I commend each student who participated in today’s forum. Their poignant comments demonstrated the toll this crisis has taken on each and every one of us.”[/private]