NEW WINDSOR – Standing amid the blue waters of Lake Washington Reservoir in New Windsor, Congressman Pat Ryan (D-18), environmental advocates and concerned citizens rallied on Friday to oppose the most recent move by U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to postpone cleaning up the contaminated water until the year 2051.
“I’m pissed off that we have to be here but also proud that in the face of this update, we’re rallying to get back on track,” said Ryan.
“There needs to be accountability for Hegseth and the DOD (Department of Defense) and for all the people who are literally poisoning our water in this community. We are raising the alarm, and we refuse to accept this as fact that will stand.”
In 2016, it was revealed that the City of Newburgh’s drinking water supply was poisoned by PFAS contamination at Stewart Air National Guard Base, from the military use of aqueous film-forming foam for firefighting and training.
PFAS is a large group of toxic “forever chemicals” that don’t break down easily.
The Department of Defense’s remedial investigation and feasibility study–a necessary step toward a clean-up plan–was expected to be completed by the end of this month.
Earlier this week, Hegseth announced the process will be put off at more than 200 military bases across the country for another 25 years.
“I may be dead by then,” said Orange County Legislator Virginia Scott of District 12. “I hope people wake up and start fighting for clean drinking water, which is a basic human right.”
This postponement is the third time in a decade that the Department of Defense has put off remediation efforts.
“For ten years the people of Newburgh have done everything that’s been asked of us. We’ve participated in health studies, attended public forums, answered surveys and dedicated countless unpaid hours to the RAB process, trusting that the military would do right by us,” said Jennifer Rawlison, a steering committee member of the Newburgh Clean Water Project. “With these reckless delays, my daughters’ generation and their future children will be handed an inheritance of toxic exposure, elevated cancer risk and lost time, traded for zero assurances from the military.”
Newburgh City Council Member Ron Zorilla, who represents Ward 4, explained the financial impact of this delay.
As a result of Newburgh losing its water source, Zorilla says the city must pay 100 thousand dollars a month to rent water, which is subsidized by New York State but not by the federal government.
“When these water bills come due it’s not landing on the polluter. “It lands on working families, on seniors with fixed incomes, who are already having trouble paying bills that are just getting higher,” said Zorilla. “So, the people who did the least to cause this are the first in line to pay for generations, and that is the definition of an environmental injustice. Every year we delay, someone here in Newburgh is paying for that delay.”
Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson of the 104th District says that despite the fact that this water may never be drinkable, the state and the federal government should be held liable. He noted that, in 2018, the City of Newburgh filed a lawsuit against the State of New York and the federal government over the contamination.
In 2020, the use of toxic firefighting foam was banned in New York State.
Congressman Ryan says he has not yet received a response to his letter to Secretary Hegseth, urging the Department of Defense to restore the original remediation plan and timeline.
“No one should have to worry about whether the water coming out of their faucet at their home, their school or their workplace is clean. That is a fundamental American value and freedom,” Ryan said.
Advocates are encouraging residents to contact their elected representatives and to ask questions and voice concerns at a meeting of the Restoration Advisory Board, a poster board session, on October 21 at the Newburgh Free Library.
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