To the Editor:

A crumbling infrastructure, an industrial legacy of toxic waste sites, eroding public health programs and the rapid growth of fossil fuel transportation and development in New York state have, and may continue to, lead to a series of urgent drinking water crises. Lake Washington, the primary reservoir in the city of Newburgh was recently found to be contaminated by PFASs (perfluoroalkyl substances), which forced the city manager to declare a crisis statement. Prior to this incident, PFAs were also found in the drinking water in the Village of Hoosick Falls and Town of Hoosick in upstate New York. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), overexposure to PFAs can lead to cancer and other health problems.

New York’s drinking water supply is threatened by federal policy, as massive cuts to the EPA could hamstring programs which clean up toxic spills and protect municipal drinking water supplies.

NYPIRG will be working this semester to urge the New York State Drinking Water Council to be proactive and preventative in monitoring our drinking water and addressing any contamination issues. We must not have another crisis like we saw in Newburgh and Hoosick Falls. We need the state to provide funding to make the necessary updates to drinking water infrastructure.

On campus, NYPIRG will educate students by providing data and helping people understand the importance of protecting our drinking water. NYPIRG has released a website, www.nypirg.org/whatsinmywater/, to raise awareness on water contamination. To get involved with NYPIRG’s campaign to protect New York’s drinking water, stop by our office at 732 S. Crouse Ave or contact Ethan Thompson at ethompson@nypirg.org or 315-476-8381.

Ethan Thompson

Project Coordinator, NYPIRG SU/SUNY-ESF