Upon learning there was PFOA in certain groundwaters in Hoosick Falls, Saint-Gobain, along with Honeywell, made it a top priority to provide potable water to residents.

From the early and extensive bottled water program, to the installation of an interim- and long-term granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration systems for the Village’s municipal water supply, as well as the installation of point-of-entry treatment systems (POETs), Saint-Gobain funded various options because we are a member of this community.

To this end, because of the GAC systems, the Village has had potable water for more than three years; and in that time, GAC was also recognized by New York state as the best-in-class technology for removing PFAS compounds from water.

We have fully cooperated with the authorities in investigating the sources of PFOA and remain committed to working with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) in this regard. Additionally, we are working with the NYSDEC to prepare a feasibility study to evaluate continued use of GAC filters and potential alternate water supplies for the Village of Hoosick Falls.

The answer is simple—we are committed to this community. Even before investigations into the source or sources of PFOA, we made bringing potable water to the residents of Hoosick Falls a top priority. As the largest employer in the area, the wellbeing of our employees and the broader community is top of mind. We want to remain an important and positive part of this community, and to see all aspects of this community continue to flourish and thrive.

According to the New York State Departments of Health and Environmental Conservation, the long-term granular activated carbon (GAC) system for the municipal supply is operating effectively and removing PFOA from the drinking water. In fact, according to the State Health Commissioner, the filtered drinking water in the Village of Hoosick Falls is “probably the cleanest water in the entire nation.” Prior to this, the interim system also effectively removed PFOA from the water.

For those Village residents not on the municipal water supply, the point-of-entry treatment systems (POETs) that have been installed work in the same way as the GAC on the municipal supply and effectively remove PFOA from the water.

The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) is conducting ongoing tests of the drinking water in Hoosick Falls.

For those in the Town with private wells using point-of-entry treatment systems (a single home version of the GAC) the NYSDEC is also responsible for ongoing testing taking place.

As for the municipal GAC system, Saint-Gobain and Honeywell have been funding the operation, maintenance and ongoing testing of the full-capacity GAC filtration system in the Village, which has been effectively removing PFOA from the drinking water for the Village of Hoosick Falls since February 2017. The companies also funded the interim system, which came online in Spring 2016. Testing of these systems is performed by an independent contractor funded by the Companies and results of this testing are provided to NYSDEC, NYSDOH, Rensselaer County, and the Village of Hoosick Falls.

The companies have worked closely with the NYSDEC and the NYSDOH throughout this process to develop operation and maintenance plans for the water treatment facility. This year the Village of Hoosick Falls will incorporate maintenance of the GAC filtration system into their overall maintenance plans for the municipal water treatment facility and, per the companies’ Consent Decree, the companies will continue to fund the operation, maintenance and ongoing testing of the GAC filtration system.

We are a part of the Hoosick Falls community and have been for more than 17 years. We are the largest employer in the Village, with approximately 200 employees. Manufacturing in general in Hoosick Falls is not what it used to be, and many of these operations have sold, shut down, downsized, or moved away. But when others sold or shut down, we stayed, and Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics intends to remain as an important member of the overall Hoosick Falls community. The high technology products manufactured by our employees in Hoosick Falls compete on a global basis, and they are proud of the quality of our products and the impact they have on enhancing the industries we serve.

We are committed to this community in many ways, and it is in our collective best interests to see Hoosick Falls flourish.

From an environmental standpoint, we set extremely rigorous standards for ourselves in connection with things like energy and water conservation, as just two examples. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics strives, globally, to be a leader in sustainability and in the environment. This is a collective and continuous effort as we all work to improve our environment. In addition, we adhere to applicable laws and follow industry best practices when it comes to the management and disposal of materials used in our various facilities.