Media Advisory: New York State Drinking Water Quality Council to Hold Second Meeting

What:

The second meeting of the Drinking Water Quality Council will be held in Albany, NY on November 29, 2017, to continue its work of ensuring that all communities across the state have access to clean drinking water. The 12-member council, which is chaired by Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker, was formed as part of the 2017-2018 Enacted State Budget to maintain and improve the quality of New York's drinking water supplies and infrastructure.

The Council will identify strategies to protect the quality of New York's drinking water from emerging contaminants that are currently unregulated. As a first priority, the Council will make recommendations to the Department of Health to set enforceable limits for three priority emerging contaminants in New York that are currently unregulated by the federal government: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and 1,4-dioxane.

At itsfirst meeting on Long Island on Oct 2, the Council discussed the emerging contaminants PFOA, PFOS and 1,4-dioxane, with a focus on 1,4-dioxane. Presentations on 1,4-dioxane toxicology, occurrence in public water systems, and on treatment technologies for its removal were provided to the Council.

At the next meeting in the Capital Region on November 29, the Council will be provided similar information on perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). PFOA was most commonly used nationally in non-stick cookware until its discontinuation in 2005 and PFOS was an ingredient formerly used in firefighting foam at Air National Guard bases nationwide and across New York state. In 2016, PFOA was found in the drinking water supply in the towns of Hoosick Falls and Petersburgh, and PFOS was discovered in the City of Newburgh's water supply. The State has taken measures in both communities to provide alternative clean drinking water for residents while holding polluters accountable for remediation and expenses.

Date

  • Wed., November 29, 2017

Time(s) Location(s):

  • 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
    Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza
    Meeting Room 6
    Albany, NY 12242

Drinking Water Quality Council meetings are open to the public. A public comment session will be held at the end of the meeting. Verbal comment is limited to 2 minutes. Meetings can be viewed live via webcast. Webcasts of the meetings are posted on the Department's web site for one year within two weeks following the meeting.

For more information about the Drinking Water Quality Council and past meeting materials, please see https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/water/drinking/dwqc/.