The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP) announced at Tuesday's Project Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting at the Napanoch Firehouse that they would "fund sump pumps to identified homeowners" in the area on and around a portion of Route 209 affected by regular and massive flooding, a problem which many believe is a direct result of the leaking Delaware Aqueduct which runs under part of Wawarsing.

In addition to the sump pumps, which would presumably help keep the flood-water levels as low as possible, the DEP also announced that they would also fund "an ultraviolet disinfection system" for residents whose wells have tested positive for coliform and e.coli bacteria, another issue which some believe saturated ground water may have caused. Lastly, the DEP also announced that they would "cost-share drainage" in the affected area, mainly on Smith Road, which seems to have borne the brunt of the flooding.

"Although it will take time to better determine the role of the influence of the tunnel on individuals and the community, DEP would like to work in good faith as we take the many complicated and lengthy steps to ultimately repair the Delaware Aqueduct," offered DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd in a written statement on Tuesday evening. "The repair of the Delaware Aqueduct is a major priority for DEP and we are working expeditiously to that end."

Ulster County Health Department Director Dean Palen, who attended the meeting, said that the DEP's funding of the filtration system was "tremendous news from a public health perspective."

Despite these commitments from the DEP, however, many of the residents at Tuesday night's PAC meeting expressed dissatisfaction at what they perceive as slow progress, and limited accountability on the part of the DEP.

"DEP, in this situation, may very well be like the instigator of a three-car accident," said County Administrator and Democratic candidate for County Executive Michael Hein, "waiting for a study to determine if that second car that hit the third car is really their fault. These folks didn't have a problem, there's substantial leakage over a long period of time, and now they do have a problem…these folks are looking for some relief."

Ira Stern, the Regional Manager of the DEP's Grahamsville Operations and de-facto leader of the semi-regular PAC meetings, said that despite the knowledge that the aqueduct is leaking, just how much of the flooding for which the tunnel is responsible is as yet unknown, due largely to the documented fact of the region's high water table.

"We know what's going on with the water, but we don't know what the role of the tunnel is," said Stern. "We knew, before the tunnel was built, and as it was built, this area had a tremendous amount of ground water."

He said that the contribution of the tunnel to the flooding problems is, at this moment, "very difficult to say."

"We're giving the benefit of the doubt that we're contributing, perhaps, to an issue," he said. "We're not saying that we're not. We're here [at the meeting] to learn about that and understand that together. And in the meantime, we'll pay part of the cost of the drainage system on Smith Road, which is a town road, which needs a drainage system. So we're coming to the table with resources before all the studies are done."

Hein asked that the DEP call the county's offices in Kingston to set up the provision and delivery of potable and clean water for use of the residents whose wells — most of them dug and shallow — tested positive for coliform and e.coli, and who are currently unable to drink, wash with, or brush teeth with their tap water. Stern said that, within a week, he would place a call to the office to discuss the suggestion.

When asked about the specifics of the DEP's offers to fund the sump pumps and ultra-violet filtration systems, such as contributing to the raised electric bills associated with constantly running a pump, reimbursement plans for residents who have already purchased pumps, or the maintenance of the various systems, Stern said that he was unable to offer those answers at this moment, but that he would check with the DEP and come back next time with more specifics as plans develop. Timetables for implementation of the projects are likewise still in the preliminary stages.

One flooded resident, Mike Smith, said that when he looked into having an ultra-violet filtration system installed in his house, the estimated cost was $2,000.

In addition to these announcements, the meeting also discussed further test results of wells in the affected area, which were in line with previous results discussed at the last meeting, which found the aforementioned bacteria in some of the dug and shallow wells that are easily contaminated by ground water. The meeting also covered an expansion in testing and assessment that has been proposed by Malcom Pirnie, the independent environmental engineering firm hired by the DEP to explore and study the leaking tunnel.

The next PAC meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 10 at 6 p.m. at the Napanoch Firehouse.

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