ALBANY, N.Y. -- The EPA has nominated Hoosick Falls as a federal Superfund site and the announcement comes on the same day as the state Assembly and Senate hearing on water quality issues.

The DEC is now urging the EPA to act quickly to formally declare the village part of the Superfund program.

The second water quality hearing began Thursday morning with Department of Health Commissioner Howard Zucker and DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos testifiying before members of the state Assembly and Senate.

But before either of them testified, Assemblyman Steve Englebright said there would likely be a third Assembly hearing because documents requested from the Department of Health weeks ago were only recieved Tuesday night, and in paper form. 

The joint hearings are reviewing statewide policies on water quality, and discussing any broad policy changes that could better protect the health of New Yorkers. Zucker and Seggos are still placing blame on the EPA.

Testimony got contentious as Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin, who represents Hoosick Falls, voiced his frustration in support of residents. McLaughlin and other lawmakers continued to question the two, asking why their agencies did not take action sooner.

"Would you have let your mother drink that water for 18 months?" asked McLaughlin. 

The two commissioners answered questions for hours, most of them directed at Department of Health Commissioner Howard Zucker.

McLaughlin accused Zucker of pushing off responsibility onto the EPA and telling resident there were no health effects related to drinking water with high levels of the possible carcinogen PFOA. 

"They had a right to be notified and you did not do it," said McLaughlin.

Zucker responded by saying, "in March of 2015, you were contacted and you did not respond." 

"Incorrect!" McLaughlin yelled back several times. 

Zucker repeatedly said they didn't sound an alarm because EPA's advisories have a built in margin of protection. 

"When you have a health advisory that's put into place, you don't put a health advisory in where the health effects occur at the level of the advisory," said Zucker, adding that even though the levels of PFOA in the Hoosick Falls drinking supply were well over 400 parts per trillion, that would have been within the margin. 

But the DOH says they were alarmed when the EPA told residents to stop drinking the water in December of 2014 because according to their interpretation of the advisory, that wasn't necessary. 

Ultimately, lawmakers were looking for ways to prevent this kind of confusing response in the future. The Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos wants the EPA to update a rule on unregulated contaminants, UCMR 3.

"This arbitrary threshold leaves 2.5 million New Yorkers at risk," he said. 

Currently, the EPA won't test for certain unregulated contaminants in communities with a population of less than 10,000 people.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is advocating for this regulation to be reformed quickly. 

Since Hoosick Falls found PFOA in their drinking water, it's been discovered in dozens of communities across New York and other nearby states.