DoD, state tangle over water contamination reimbursement.
[TIMES HERALD-RECORD FILE PHOTO] State spending in response to the toxic chemical contamination that has poisoned the City of Newburgh’s primary water supply and private wells in the towns of Newburgh and New Windsor is $25 million and estimated to grow by another $26 million.
On Wednesday a DoD spokesman confirmed what had been reported Tuesday in a Long Island newspaper – that the department will not reimburse for “past expenditures” related to contamination at Stewart and Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach.
n The amount set aside for Newburgh’s purchase of New York City water: $11.5 million.
n Municipal hookups for contaminated private wells: $700,000 n New water treatment plant for Newburgh: an estimated $15 million.
Added to the nearly $24 million spent by DEC is the $1 million spent by DOH to test approximately 3,000 residents in the City of Newburgh and the surrounding towns exposed to perfluorooctane sulfonate, or PFOS.
The toxic chemical forced the closure of Washington Lake, Newburgh’s primary water supply, in May 2016, and led to the designation of Stewart Air National Guard Base as a Superfund site.
Those agreements will cover what costs the military will absorb, but past expenses are “not authorized” Stump said.
“Reimbursement for past expenditures are not authorized.” On Friday U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer visited Suffolk County to demand that DoD reimburse the county for more than $5 million it has spent on contamination from Gabreski, which was also added to the state’s Superfund list.
Schumer has also repeatedly called on DoD to reimburse the state for its Stewart-related expenses.