Diane Caruso

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Sep 22, 2026, 5:47 PM

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Updated

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Residents, lawmakers and environmental advocates gathered at Nyack's waterfront park Tuesday to urge Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign legislation that would establish a maximum contaminant level and a hazard index for PFAS chemicals in drinking water.

Among those there was Zaneta, of Nyack, who said concerns about water quality have forced her to rely on a reverse osmosis filtration system at home.

"Knowing that I can't just open my tap up and get clean water is pretty distressing," Zaneta said. "Alarming that in 2026 we are still kind of asking the question, 'Should we regulate PFAS?'"

Supporters of the legislation said their push comes in response to recent rollbacks by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The EPA's website states the agency is proposing to rescind a rule about several chemicals because of what it describes as an unlawful procedure.

Even so, advocates on Tuesday said they want New York to establish its own protections.

"Let's not make the mistakes that were made with lead and asbestos to wait for decades, thus exposing an entire generation, or in this case, because of the durability of these chemicals, future generations to higher risks," said Peggy Kurtz, who lives in Upper Nyack and is part of the Sierra Club.

A spokesperson for the governor wrote in a statement that the legislation is under review and "every New Yorker should be able to count on clean, safe drinking water and we will continue to take aggressive action to protect the health and safety of New Yorkers."

PFAS, often referred to as "forever chemicals," have been a longstanding concern because they do not easily break down and have been linked to health issues.

Speakers highlighted PFAS concerns involving Veolia water wells in Rockland County.

Progress reports from recent years show water wells with forever chemicals above state standards.

Veolia said it has a dozen PFAS treatment sites in Rockland County and is committed to treating PFAS.