Letter to the Hon. Barbara Barrett, Secretary of the Air Force - Schumer reveals: Over four years since PFAS discovery in Newburgh drinking water, Stewart cleanup could face indefinite delays if bureaucratic guidelines are misapplied by USAF; Schumer--in letter and direct call to USAF secretary--fights to fund and expedite clean up, now

Letter

Dear Secretary Barrett:

I write with great concern that the United States Air Force (USAF) may not include Stewart Air National Guard Base (Stewart) in New Windsor, New York, as part of next year's tranche of funded Remedial Investigations (RI). Stewart has serious PFAS contamination that threatens the local water table and it deserves to be funded in fiscal year 2021 (FY21).

It is my understanding that USAF selects priority cleanup sites based on the immediate health and safety risks impacting surrounding communities and therefore provides preference to sites impacting local drinking water sources; and you would be correct to assess that Washington Lake is no longer Newburgh's drinking water source. However, Madame Secretary, I would be remiss not to point out that Newburgh did not lightly decide to abandon its main drinking water source, rather, this emergency decision was provoked by the May 2016 discovery of decades-long contamination from Stewart, endangering the health and safety of thousands of Newburgh residents.

Over four years later, PFAS-ridden ground, surface, and stormwater continues flowing off base contaminating the community watershed at rates above the state and federal thresholds. If we still don't know all the PFAS exposure pathways, and the recent Expanded Site Investigation (ESI) shows that to be the case, then it is impossible to write off the impact to local water sources despite the diversion of Silver Stream and the interim filtration device. The recent elevated screening levels discussed in the ESI have caused Newburgh residents great concern as they wait for USAF to find all the sources and pathways of its PFAS contamination which can only be assessed if the USAF immediately prioritizes the RI. Without knowing why toxic water is still flowing from Stewart and where it is flowing to, USAF can't once again turn its back on Stewart's ongoing high containment levels, especially considering that there is a need for additional data surrounding drinking sources. Nor can the USAF rely on a state filtration device, or its own interim device, to filter toxic water without knowing its source or path. Making these assumptions would only further endanger the imminent health and safety of the communities surrounding Stewart.

That's why I urge you to take the next step of this incredibly drawn out, yet desperately needed, process and select Stewart for the Remedial Investigation with all due speed. This request is made not just as a result of my personal impatience but results from four years of patience from thousands of Newburgh residents and the thousands more before them that have been impacted by decades of contaminated drinking water and can now be penalized due to USAF's bureaucratic internal protocol.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. Please do not hesitate to contact my staff should you have any questions.

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