Resident urges Albany County to ban biosolids after private wells test positive for E. coli and PFAs

A New Scotland resident told the Albany County Legislature on April 14 that land application of biosolids near his home contaminated multiple private wells with bacteria and trace-level PFAS chemicals, and asked the county to ban biosolids spreading.

Ryan Dunham, who said he has lived near Thatcher Park for 21 years, described a summer when odors from a nearby field were followed by tests showing his 320-foot-deep well contained E. coli and coliform bacteria at levels he said were up to 200 times the EPA’s safe threshold. He said six of 10 neighbor wells initially tested positive and that number rose to 10 wells after further testing.

Dunham said county health officials told him PFAs testing would cost about $1,000 per well. He said two weeks before his remarks, tests found four PFAs in New Scotland Well Field Number 2 at roughly 2 to 4 parts per trillion. He cited a January 15, 2025, EPA draft report on PFAS in biosolids that notes land-applied sewage sludge with detectable PFOA/PFOS can exceed thresholds for cancer and noncancer risks.

Dunham said the Department of Environmental Conservation initially denied biosolids application and described the material as manure; later he said the DEC acknowledged biosolids but told him permits were in order and that tracking the source is difficult because material may be brought from out-of-state. He said he requested but had not secured a public water connection and asked the legislature to permanently ban biosolids spreading in Albany County to protect air and water quality.

Legislators did not take immediate action during the meeting; Dunham’s remarks were part of the public comment period. He requested clearer enforcement and transparency about origin, composition and class of biosolids used on county fields and said local residents need county-level protections.