North Salem to Receive $600k for Water District Improvements

NORTH SALEM, N.Y. - North Salem has been told it will receive close to $600,000 in state funds for PFOS mitigation at its Pabst Water District.

The $592,074 grant is part of $435 million awarded to 102 critical water infrastructure projects across New York State through the Water Infrastructure Improvement (WIIA) and Intermunicipal Grant (IMG) programs by the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC).

Announced in November by Sen. Peter Harckham (D-South Salem) and Assemblyman Chris Burdick (D-Bedford), it will cover 70 percent of the project’s cost. The town will pick up the other 30 percent.

The total cost for the Pabst Water System PFOS Mitigation project is $845,820.

EFC administers the WIIA and IMG programs in coordination with the New York State Department of Health (DOH).

The State has awarded more than $2.5 billion in water infrastructure grants through EFC since 2015, the state representatives said.

It’s part of the state’s efforts to address the threat of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), aka “forever chemicals because they don’t break down in the environment.

The class of manmade/synthetic chemicals includes perfluoro octane sulfonate (PFOS). It was found in the Pabst supply in an amount that exceeds New York’s drinking water standards for emerging contaminants, considered to be the most protective in the country.

In 2020, the state set maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) of 10 parts per trillion (10 ppt) each for PFOA and PFOS, and 1 part per billion (1 ppb) for 1,4-dioxane.

PFAS are found in water, air, fish, and soil at places all around the nation and the world, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

They were used in the production of many products, including nonstick cookware, stain repellants, and firefighting foam.

Earlier this year, Gov. Kathy Hochul increased awards for emerging contaminant projects to 70 percent from 60 percent of the net eligible project costs.

According to Harckham and Burdick, the change will help ensure that “cost is not a barrier for communities working to make life-saving investments that eliminate risks to their drinking water supplies.

Town Supervisor Warren Lucas thanked them for their support in getting the EFC grant.

“PFOS is one of the chemicals recently targeted by the DOH and EPA as a problem chemical. The money will be used to build a filtering system for the 84 homeowners in this water system,” Lucas said.