Poestenkill Town Board votes down free at-home toxic water testing

POESTENKILL – The Poestenkill Town Board voted down free tests for property owners near Algonquin Middle School at a meeting Thursday.

Councilman Eric Wohlleber introduced a resolution at Thursday’s town board meeting that would provide money for PFOA testing to anyone in town who requests it.

Based on messages he’s received from constituents, Wohlleber believed many town residents would like to test their drinking water, but might not have the money.

Wohlleber also believes the onus should really be on the state or the county to pay for the testing, but until that happens, if it happens, he wants to make sure his constituents can get it done to put their minds at ease.

It’s a full house at tonight’s Poestenkill Town Board meeting. The topic on many peoples’ minds is PFOA contamination found in the town drinking water. Board member Eric Wohlleber is introducing a resolution that allows the town to pay for testing. pic.twitter.com/nxQVbjIciu

— Dan Levy (@dlevywnyt) October 21, 2021

Since PFOA contamination was found in the drinking water at Algonquin Middle School last January, 17 adjacent properties have been tested, and four of them have come back to PFOA levels above the state minimum.

Getting people’s wells tested as soon as possible is just one of Wohlleber’s current concerns.

"We can’t find the source unless we do tests, and no one seems to want to do a lot of tests," said Wohlleber. "We can’t just do 10 tests here or seven tests here, a few more tests here, that’s not going to get it done. We have to find the source and the state and the county have to be committed to finding the source, and right now they’re not," he said.