Letter to Richard K. Hartley, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force - Air Force/ANG must create a more comprehensive plan to immediately test and remediate water pollution that continues to plague Newburgh-area

Letter

I write on behalf of thousands of families I represent in Newburgh, New York who have been exposed to contaminated drinking water as a result of PFOS contamination that very likely originated from the Stewart Air National Guard Base. As you know, the contaminated water on post has flowed into Recreation Pond, Silver Stream, and Washington Lake. Recently, the Air National Guard released a Work Plan that identified on-base pollution centers and outlined a plan for remediation on post. However, the Work Plan did not adequately examine the obvious pollution pathways into nearby bodies of water, nor did it include a plan for the contaminated waterways off post, making it markedly insufficient. Therefore, I urge the Air Force, Air National Guard and their managing entity, the DOD, to take immediate action to add Recreation Pond and additional downstream waterways impacted by on-base PFOS pollution runoff to the Work Plan's survey of pollution locations, as well as articulating a full remediation plan for those water bodies.

As you know, testing conducted by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) in March 2016 showed that the water supply contamination likely came from the release of aqueous-forming foam (AFFF) from Stewart. The base was subsequently declared a state Superfund site and pursuant to this designation under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Air National Guard completed a site inspection. While the inspection helped identify 13 potential release locations at the base, it did not include Recreation Pond, or any other waterways that are contaminated as a direct result of the chemical release at Stewart. This must be rectified with all due speed to complete a genuinely comprehensive survey and clean-up Work Plan.

These families deserve access to clean water and an assurance that the Air Force/ANG/DOD is doing all it can to stop the continuing flow of PFOS-tainted water into the drinking supply. In this light, I urge you to move swiftly and, while further survey and clean-up plans are articulated, to also take interim remedial measures in order to minimize the ongoing environmental and public health impact while a clean-up plan is developed.

I look forward to your response and to working with you on this important issue.

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