Woodstock town supervisor Bill McKenna and the town board once again faced stinging criticism at the meeting of the town board on July 16 from those who allege a lack of action on PFOS in the town water and contaminated fill in Shady.
The 2022 annual report for the town water supply showed 0.86 parts per trillion of PFOS, a group of “forever” chemicals used to make products resistant to stains, grease, soil and water.
In 2023, a test result spiked to 3.48 ppt. The town promised a more frequent testing schedule than once per year.
Results for a May 2024 sample initially showed results below the 1.86 ppt reportable threshold. However, revised results show 2.39 ppt at one of the two Bearsville Flats pumphouses. A new round of testing will include both wells instead of just the pumphouse.
The state limit before action must be taken is 10 ppt. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s recent lowering of the limit to 4 ppt is not yet enforceable.
Councilmember Anula Courtis is hosting a town-hall-style Q&A session on water concerns, featuring panelists from the state and county health departments, on July 24 at 6 p.m. at the Mescal Hornbeck Community Center.
A disturbing trend
“As a resident, I want water to be safe … safe for me safe for my friends, my family, safe for you, safe for everybody in my community. But our water has been compromised, and those who are charged with the protection of our health and our environment have let us down,” resident Stephanie Kaplan said at the July 16 meeting. “The amount of PFOS quadrupled, a disturbing trend. Yet you on the town board remained silent for six months. You told us nothing until others in our community found out about the problem. They brought it to our attention, and you could no longer ignore it.”
Kaplan demanded better communication.
“You know how to get the word out when you want to. As to most recent test, you seem to revel in an inexplicable reduction in PFOS because you virtually bragged about it on the town website and social media .… When the result were favorable, you clearly know how to communicate. So please do that with everything.”
Contaminated fill
Vincent Mow, speaking on behalf of Woodstockers United for Change, said the town board and supervisor took an oath to uphold the New York State Constitution, which guarantees each person the right to clean air and water and a healthy environment.
He said the source of the contaminated fill in Shady was identified in court as coming from contractor Joseph Karolys’ pile in Saugerties.
“And you, supervisor McKenna, issued the phony permit later invalidated in court which allowed as much as 3000 tons of the hazardous material to be deposited directly above the town aquifer in Shady, still leaching contaminants into our groundwater.”
Instead of looking for the inevitable source of the contamination, Mow charged, “We hear things from you like probably just something disturbed when the new well went in? Seriously? Or that it can’t possibly be coming from Shady, like you said during the interview?”
Testing of samples taken on the Eighmey property detected PFOS, but there is no evidence yet that the forever chemicals have made their way to the main town water supply in the Bearsville Flats.
They’re having to buy water
Chris Bailey, also speaking for Woodstockers United for Change, was offended that tax dollars were being spent fighting Frank and Pam Eighmey’s lawsuit.
“The Eighmeys live next door to the 10 Church Road dump and their water is poisoned. They can’t use it any more. They’re having to buy water. They’re having to pay for legal fees,” he said. “And instead of us saying, Okay, we’re gonna fix it like we should have done in the first place, now we’re hiring lawyers to fight them. It’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. And I think it’s reprehensible.”
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