Congress to Probe Hoosick Falls Water Crisis

By Brendan J. Lyons

The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform sent letters to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday demanding documents for a pending congressional probe into the handling of the Hoosick Falls' water crisis.

The House committee's investigation cites Times Union articles and other reports that officials at all levels of government, including the state and Rensselaer County health departments, as well as the EPA, were aware for at least a year that a dangerous chemical had polluted the village's water system but did not warn residents to stop drinking the water.

The EPA was notified of the water pollution in December 2014. In December 2015, EPA regional administrator Judith Enck sent a letter to Hoosick Falls Mayor David Borge demanding that he stop telling residents the water was safe to drink. But Borge said he was relying on advice from the state health department, which issued "fact sheets" to residents that month stating no adverse health effects were expected from normal use of the village's water.

Click here for the full article. 

Source: Times Union and the Empire Report