Suffolk County To Be Reimbursed For Water Cleanup In Westhampton Beach

Late last month, the U.S. Senate passed an amendment to an appropriations bill authorizing the Air Force and the Air National Guard to reimburse Suffolk County for the cleanup of water contamination surrounding Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton.

U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, both of New York, sponsored the amendment, which allocates $45 million in reimbursements to areas surrounding bases where water contamination was linked to firefighting foam used during training sessions. The funds will be divided between states and local water authorities; it is unclear how much money will be allocated to the Suffolk County Water Authority.

The contaminants, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, or PFOS, and per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, were detected by the Suffolk County Health Department in private water wells in Westhampton Beach in 2016. Affected homes have since been switched to public water.

In addition to Gabreski, the amendment also specifically identifies Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh as an area that would receive reimbursements.

“It was vital to secure this amendment, which enables local communities and the state to be paid back for the millions they spent to respond to a mess not of their making,” Mr. Schumer said in a press release. “This federal funding is a key first step in bringing some relief to impacted communities, and we must now make sure that it remains in the final bill as we work our way through the conference committee.”

The Defense Appropriations bill will now move to the House of Representatives for review.

In recent months, high concentrations of the chemicals, which can cause negative health effects, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, have also been detected in East Quogue, Hampton Bays, Wainscott and East Hampton. In most cases, firefighting foam used until the early 2000s is believed to be the cause.

This bill is not expected to reimburse the cleanup costs for those areas, however, as it focuses only on federal sites.

“No New Yorker should ever have to worry about whether their drinking water is going to make them sick, and it’s time for the federal government to do its part and reimburse communities like the City of Newburgh and Westhampton Beach for this expensive cleanup,” Ms. Gillibrand said in a statement. “I will do everything in my power to make sure that this amendment is passed into law.”