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Somers schedules hearing to form water district to address PFAS in business district
Summary
The Somers Town Board voted to schedule a public hearing to form Somers Water District No. 2 to address PFAS and water-quality issues in the Business Historic Preservation district; construction funds are in hand and the district would initially serve 17 commercial parcels, the consulting town engineer said.
Somers moved this week to begin the formal process of creating a water district aimed at removing PFAS contamination from parts of the town’s Business Historic Preservation (BHP) area.
Consulting town engineer Steve Robbins told the board on July 9 that engineering plans are with the health department and that the town has secured construction funding intended to cover capital costs so the project would not impose debt on the 17 commercial properties the district would initially serve. "The construction funds are intended to cover all of the capital cost of the project," Robbins said. He added that individual properties would still be required to connect and make any on-site modifications.
The board adopted an order calling a public hearing to form Somers Water District No. 2 and to set the statutory notification and review process in motion. Robbins said outreach will include an informational session for affected property owners and that the district could be expanded later at the request of property owners or by petition.
Robbins said the town has been coordinating regularly with state and county funding agencies; he referenced a WIA grant and federal emerging-contaminants funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law as among funding sources supporting design and construction. He also noted that the district would enable the town to buy water from the purveyor (Veolia) and distribute it to properties along the proposed main, bringing both improved water quality and new fire protection where there is currently no water main or hydrants.
Why it matters: PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) have been detected at Somers Town Hall and in some commercial wells nearby. The district is intended to give a practical, funded route to remove or bypass contaminated sources in the BHP area and improve public-safety infrastructure.
Next steps: The board scheduled the public hearing and directed staff to complete the statutory notifications and the maps/schedule of parcels to be served. If the district order proceeds after public review, the town will finalize plans and proceed to construction funding and connection logistics.
