Calvin Staples, a lifelong Newburgher and 1971 graduate of Newburgh Free Academy, has seen his community suffer, recover, and now suffer again.
"It just doesn't surprise me," Staples said of recent news that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had not yet begun a system at Stewart Air National Guard Base to filter out stubborn contaminants, even though the project was supposed to be done already.
"It should be looked at a lot more seriously than it has been," Staples said with an eye roll.
In 2016, after the discovery of high levels of PFOS and PFOA in the local water system's reservoir, Lake Washington, the system was shut down completely.
The chemicals, which have been linked to cancer, have been coming from Recreation Pond at Stewart ANG Base.
Firefighting foam frequently used on the base has been blamed for the 2016 contamination. Its use has since been discontinued.
In order to even begin considering whether to resume drawing drinking water from Lake Washington again, the DoD must finish the filtration system for the base's still contaminated pond.
According to Senator Chuck Schumer, the Port Authority hit snags trying to iron out a 'Right of Entry' agreement with the USACE, and two building plans were not yet approved.
"The Air Force and Air National Guard said that their installation of filtration at Recreation Pond would take three to six months, yet here we are, approaching month ten and contaminated water still continues to flow off base," Sen. Schumer said in a press release. "And even after stepping in and cutting through bureaucratic red tape stopping the installation of the desperately-needed Recreation Pond PFAS filtration system that is already funded and ready to go, we find out that it’s being delayed further still by more contracts and approvals,”
In a letter to military officials, Schumer said he was disappointed and frustrated with communication and coordination between the officials and the community about the project.
After a tour of the base that included a stop by Recreation Pond, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said she was assured that outstanding permit and approval issues have been fully resolved and the filtration project is about to begin. She said she was given a timeline for the project that forecasts completion of the project by mid-December.
Currently, Newburgh and New Windsor are getting their water from the Catskill Aqueduct, which serves New York City and is subject to some of the strictest regulations in the nation. Newburgh City officials have wondered whether they will ever be able to switch back to Lake Washington for its primary water source.
When asked if she thinks Lake Washington will ever again be used for drinking water, Gillibrand made no guarantees.
"I don't know," she said matter-of-factly, "but I know that we don't have to use Lake Washington right now, which is good."
If it works perfectly, the filtration system at Recreation Pond would filter out all PFOA and PFOS from water that escapes the pond and flows into Silver Stream, which feeds Lake Washington.
That would be the first step of many toward getting Newburgh and New Windsor back on their original water source.
"Anytime you're talking about contaminants in water, it requires long-term monitoring," Gillibrand said. "It requires testing of wells and different water systems. This is going to be collaboration between the military, the federal government and our local communities."