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Pine Plains’ water is safe to drink.
The Pine Plains Water Department has released its 2023 Water Quality Report, confirming full compliance with state and federal safety guidelines. The report revealed that in the past year, levels of contaminants within the town’s water supply were below the safe-to-drink limits established by state and federal authorities.
“I can tell you that the Health Department is very pleased with the Pine Plains water system,” said Colleen Pillus, communications director for Dutchess County. “They do all their sampling per code.”
The water quality assessment included tests for contaminants such as total coliform, inorganic compounds, nitrate, nitrite, lead and copper, volatile organic compounds, total trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids, radiological and synthetic organic compounds.
Notably, there were no traces of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), highly persistent synthetic organic compounds, commonly referred to as ‘“forever chemicals,” in the water supply. These man-made chemicals are used in a variety of consumer and industrial products and build up in humans and animals over time, causing health risks such as cancer.
“We have not had any ‘detects’ for PFOA, PFOS, or dioxin,” said Ray Jurkowski, clerk of the works for the Pine Plains Water Department, in his presentation to the Town Board on March 21.
State regulations allow for less frequent testing if there is a consistent absence of forever chemicals in the water supply. “Three years ago the water department was taking quarterly samples and there were no ‘detects’ on any of those samples,” Jurkowski said. “They then allowed us to go down to a single quarter this last year. Now they are allowing us to go to one sample every three years.”
The Pine Plains water system serves an estimated 880 people through 321 service connections. In 2023, the average daily flow was 52,000 gallons per day.
The local water supply comes from two wells, each about 110 feet deep, that draw from an aquifer in the Wappinger Creek drainage basin. The water is disinfected with sodium hypochlorite at the pump-house facility before distribution.
Residents within Pine Plains water district should soon receive a copy of the water quality report in their mailboxes, along with updated information on meter readings and a new online option to pay their water bill, Jurkowski said.
“I’ve seen a lot of water quality advisements for [contaminants in] water supplies,” said Pillus “I’ve never seen one for Pine Plains.”
In this climate of constant and/or sudden change, even if there is an issue of undue hassle in conducting, possibly extreme expense associated with conducting this water test, it seems a good idea to continue with routine, yearly checks, regardless. I would be interested in hearing agreement or, debate, on the matter of routine checks — add bridges to the routine checks ;-). Others?*!.