The Village of Hoosick Falls could receive over $195,000 from two plastics companies, which residents said was an important step in becoming “whole” again.
“They’re here in the community,” resident Michael Hickey said.
They’re trying to work with us, and they want to make things right as well.” Hickey and other residents hope progress is on the horizon after the village board voted to accept money from plastic companies found responsible for PFOA contamination in the village water supply.
The village board also voted on a tolling agreement that would require both the companies and the village not to take legal action against one another without at least 30-days notice, which was the most contentious part of the meeting.
“It was, like, well, the village board voted to accept this money and there’s no strings attached.
But you gotta vote for both.” Still, the board voted to approve the agreement, and environmental attorney David Engel spoke to make it clear.
“Right now, my expectation frankly is that there will come a time when we have to bring a lawsuit,” he said.
“We know that the well field that they’re currently using is being properly filtered, and people are drinking clean water in the community,” Sean Mahar with DEC said.
“But long-term, we need to find that alternate source, and that’s been our commitment and that commitment isn’t changing.” The state department of health was also in attendance and presented results from a 2016 study that proved people who were on village drinking water generally had higher levels of PFOA in their blood than those who were not.
“Individuals who were tested towards the tail end of that program show lower levels,” DOH Spokesperson Gary Holmes said.