The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Hoosick Falls Carbon Treatment System Now Operational

By

submitted by Village of Hoosick Falls

Village Mayor David Borge has announced that the newly-installed carbon filtration system at the municipal water treatment plant is fully operational  and Village officials have begun pumping water through the system and into the Village’s water system.

“This is a major step forward,” Borge said. “The State Department of Health informed the Village that it recommended the new facility begin operating and delivering treated water to the distribution  system. As a result, water began flowing through the carbon filtration system on Tuesday, February 23.” 

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The New York State DEC was in the Second Ward on Tuesday morning flushing the Village water lines. At the corner of Railroad Avenue and Elm Street, a DEC worker monitored a meter that measured the water that was running through this hydrant. After this phase, residents will flush the water through the pipes in their homes and a program of testing the finsihed water will begin. Photo by Deb Alter
The New York State DEC was in the Second Ward on Tuesday morning flushing the Village water lines. At the corner of Railroad Avenue and Elm Street, a DEC worker monitored a meter that measured the water that was running through this hydrant. After this phase, residents will flush the water through the pipes in their homes and a program of testing the finsihed water will begin. Photo by Deb Alter

NYSDOH approved the system for use based on the results of bacteriological and inorganic contaminant sampling. NYSDOH has not yet sampled the treated water to determine if the carbon filtration system is effectively reducing PFOA to safe levels. A sampling program to determine levels of PFOA in the treated water is about to commence.

The EPA’s recommendation to refrain from using the municipal water for drinking and cooking remains in effect, Borge said. “It will likely take another few weeks for NYSDOH to conduct a rigorous sampling program to ensure the carbon filtration system is effectively removing PFOA from the water.”

Mayor Borge thanked the operators of the Village water treatment plant for working tirelessly to get the carbon filtration system installed and operational in a very brief span of time. “Our team worked literally around the clock to install this system as quickly as possible. A project that typically takes months to complete only took a few weeks time. I thank them for their diligence and effort,” Borge said.

Village officials, along with EPA staff, have been flushing the municipal water supply to purge local water mains and hydrants of any PFOA-contaminated water remaining in the pipes. Once the hydrant and water main flushing is completed, NYSDOH will ask residents to flush household pipes by running household taps for a period of time and flushing toilets. NYSDOH intends to conduct a door-to-door program to provide information to residents regarding the specific protocols residents should follow. The NYSDOH information also will be posted on the municipal website as soon as it is received.[/private]