Tainted water found in wells near Suffolk fire academy in Yaphank

Tainted water found in wells near Suffolk fire academy in Yaphank.
The 28-acre training site sits across Yaphank Avenue from a small residential neighborhood where private wells have also tested positive for the compounds, prompting Suffolk County to begin hooking up those residences to public water supplies.
It’s a patchwork of homes with either public water or private wells, said Suffolk County Water Authority CEO Jeff Szabo.
The compounds aren’t regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency but the federal authority last year set a health advisory of 70 parts per trillion for both PFOS and PFOA combined.
A National Toxicology Program report based on animal and human subjects released last year “found these chemicals were presumed to be immune hazards to people,” said Laurel Schaider, a research scientist with Silent Spring Institute in Massachusetts.
About 50 homes over three phases will be connected at no charge to Suffolk County Water Authority wells, and bottled water is being delivered to affected residences for cooking and drinking, Suffolk Health Commissioner Dr. James L. Tomarken said.
“I was very upset that they never tested it before,” said Corbett, adding that she has lived at the house for 19 years.
They need the political will.” Suffolk County Deputy Executive Peter Scully said $250,000 is in the proposed budget to pay for the water hookups and additional investigating.
The designation of the Yaphank site is part of an overall push from the state’s water quality rapid response team to address contamination from PFOS and PFOA, which also are used in some fire-retardant materials and food packaging.
Homes with private wells are not subject to drinking water regulations but public water suppliers must meet safety standards.

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