CITY OF NEWBURGH — The federal Environmental Protection Agency's intention to set safety limits on two toxic chemicals that contaminated the City of Newburgh's primary water source years ago does not go far enough for city officials in Newburgh.

"The city wants there to be additional action," Newburgh's interim City Manager Joe Donat said Thursday evening. "We knew this (EPA's plan) was coming, we are not surprised, though it's unfortunate."

Newburgh's former primary water source, Washington Lake, has been closed since May 2016 due to levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate, commonly referred to as PFOS, that were twice the advisory standard for drinking water set by the EPA. A month after the lake was closed, Newburgh started using state funds to buy water from the Catskills Aqueduct.

The high level of PFOS in Washington Lake has been tied to the use of firefighting foams at nearby Stewart Air National Guard Base.

The EPA's current standard for advisory limits of PFOS and PFOA is 70 parts per trillion found in drinking water, but many activist organizations believe the threshold should be much lower. The New York State Drinking Water Quality Council recommended in December that the state allow public water supplies to contain no more than 10 parts per trillion of PFOA or PFOS.

“I appreciate the fact that the EPA is finally getting in the game on PFOS and PFOA cleanup criteria, but we need an enforceable drinking water standard to protect our communities right now,” said Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney in a statement issued Thursday. “I urge the EPA to act quickly to protect people’s health. I’m going to continue watching this process like a hawk.”

EPA's action plan announced Thursday by the agency's acting Director Andrew Wheeler outlined intentions to set more strict maximum contamination limits, list PFOS and PFOA as hazardous substances, monitor the PFAS family of chemicals in drinking water, and make recommendations for cleaning up contaminated sites.

Donat said he was unsure if EPA's new plan does anything to help Newburgh right now.

"The City of Newburgh will remain on the course that it’s on, working toward a solution, regardless of what the EPA does or doesn't do," Donat said.

lbellamy@th-record.com