To the dismay of about 200 people who were hoping for good news about efforts to decontaminate the local water supply, Thursday's meeting with government officials went similarly to their last meeting in November in that it frustrated more than it soothed.

Engineers from agencies under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Defense took questions and criticism from Newburgh-area residents at the Armory Unity Center about the government's slow-moving plan to rid the watershed of Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).

The chemicals have been linked to some forms of cancer and birth defects.

They were used for decades in firefighting foam at Stewart Air National Guard Base, just several hundred feet from the now-contaminated Lake Washington which used to supply drinking water to 27,000 residents (In 2016, following a new advisory by the Environmental Protection Agency, the area's drinking water source was changed from Lake Washington to the Catskill Aqueduct, which serves New York City).

Over time, Air Force officials said, the stubborn chemicals have accumulated in the ground and nearby creeks.

Multiple locations along Silver Creek, which feeds Lake Washington, were found to have PFOS/PFOA levels three to four times the EPA's health advisory level of the chemicals of .07 micrograms per liter, according to data from 2017 shared by the DoD.

Recreation Pond, which is connected to Silver Creek also tested at elevated levels.

According to the DoD's data, a location between Recreation Pond and Silver Creek was found to have more than 200 times the EPA's advisory level of PFOS/PFOA.

Officials with the Air National Guard said they are working on a filtration system that is expected to be able to keep PFOS/PFOA from getting into local streams, but it could still be months before that system is in place.

Residents at Thursday's meeting found the timeline for improvements unacceptable.

DoD engineers said there are still studies to be done and meetings to be had at all levels of government to make sure the expensive clean-up and mitigation projects are done correctly.

"I wish the process moved faster," said John Henderson, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Energy. "It's slow for us, and it's aggravating for us also."

Henderson also told the room that more than $300 million has been spent to assess and clean up PFOS-affected sites nationwide, and is requesting another $300 million for the upcoming fiscal year.

Henderson and Air National Guard Director Lt. Gen. L. Scott Rice said during their last visit in November that they were going to help the community form a restoration advisory board (RAB).

The board would include residents who would have a direct link to EPA and DoD officials.

They would get regular updates on the clean-up, offer advice and chances to view mitigation plans before they are put into action.

The board had not been formed.

When asked when he last had a meeting or conversation about starting a RAB to help oversee his work, Henderson said he last mentioned it at the November community meeting.

"It's a long process to get the leadership started and for the community to do this," Henderson said. "It doesn't have to be a long process. It just is sometimes."

Henderson said the DoD typically uses a three-phase strategy to get a site like the Stewart guard base out of contamination.

The first phase is "identifying the extent of the problem."

Henderson said that with regard to the local watershed, the DoD is still in the first phase.