Newburgh could wait another 25 years for a final federal decision on how to clean up PFAS contamination at Stewart Air National Guard Base, a timeline that has raised concerns among community members who have spent a decade advocating for remediation.

At a recent Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) meeting, federal officials said that the projected September 2051 deadline refers to a final cleanup decision and not the completion of remediation. They said several interim projects remain underway to reduce contamination entering surrounding waterways.

The explanation did little to ease the concerns of Jennifer Rawlinson, the board’s community co-chair, who questioned why the federal government could need another 25 years to reach a final cleanup decision.

“I definitely know my kids will be older and they shouldn’t have to be fighting this fight,” Rawlinson said.

Bill Meyer, the National Guard Bureau’s restoration program manager for Stewart, said the timeline reflects additional environmental investigations, evaluations of possible cleanup methods and uncertainty over federal funding. He emphasized that work to address the contamination is continuing despite the lengthy process for selecting a final remedy.

PFAS contamination was discovered in Newburgh’s drinking water in 2016 and linked to firefighting foam used at Stewart Air National Guard Base. The chemicals traveled through drainage systems and waterways connected to Washington Lake, which previously supplied the city’s drinking water.

Newburgh stopped using the lake following the discovery and now receives its drinking water through the Catskill Aqueduct. PFAS, commonly called “forever chemicals,” are manufactured substances that persist in the environment and have been associated with health risks.

Before Meyer’s presentation, Assemblymember Jonathan Jacobson criticized reports suggesting the cleanup had been delayed by decades, arguing that the federal government needed to take greater responsibility for the contamination.

“To kick it down the road for another 25 years is saying you don’t care,” Jacobson said, pointing to residents with contaminated private wells and the city’s loss of Washington Lake as a drinking water source.

He urged federal officials to accelerate remediation and called for the federal government to reimburse the state for expenses associated with providing Newburgh with an alternative drinking water supply.

Rawlinson, speaking after Meyer’s presentation, contrasted the new timeline with an April 2023 presentation that had projected approximately three to six years for the remedial investigation and feasibility study.

She also criticized the lack of communication, saying advisory board members learned about the revised schedule through news reports rather than directly from federal officials.

Meyer said officials are aiming to complete the current environmental investigation by summer 2027, but additional studies could take another two to five years before the federal government can move toward selecting a comprehensive cleanup approach.

Funding for those studies has not been secured, as Meyer said Stewart must compete with other military installations for federal environmental restoration funds, making it difficult to establish a firm schedule for the remaining work.

While the broader cleanup process remains uncertain, officials outlined several projects intended to reduce the amount of contamination leaving the base.

Meyer said that an additional $3.1 million was awarded, bringing an existing contract to approximately $14 million for groundwater and stormwater improvements.

The work, which has yet to start due to property access and permitting issues, includes construction of a trench along the southern boundary of the base to intercept contaminated groundwater and repairs to three underground drainage pipes that have developed cracks.

Officials are also working with the New York State Department of Transportation on a proposal to redirect stormwater runoff from Route 17K away from Recreation Pond, where contaminated water is collected and treated.

Meyer estimated the project would cost about $2.6 million, with the Air National Guard and DOT each responsible for half, though they have not yet signed a formal agreement.

The proposed diversion could help address a problem facing the pond’s existing treatment system: the volume of water entering during heavy rainfall.

Doug Close of Bristol Environmental Solutions, which operates the interim system at Recreation Pond, reported that the equipment was operational 96% of the time between July and September but treated only 42% of the water passing through the pond because stormwater exceeded its capacity.

Although the system effectively removes PFAS from the water it treats, it can process only about 500 gallons per minute, while heavy storms can send as much as 100,000 gallons per minute into the pond, leaving much of the runoff untreated.

The next RAB meeting is set for January 2027.