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Sixteen Small Drinking Water Systems in New York Face Fines for Violations; EPA Encourages Systems to Cooperate in Return for Reduced Fines

Release Date: 01/18/2001
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(#01008) New York, New York – Despite prior notifications from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 16 small drinking water systems in New York State continue to violate the federal Safe Drinking Water Act requirement to send consumers an annual report containing information about the source and quality of the drinking water that they provide. The reports, called Consumer Confidence Reports, were first due by October 1999. Subsequent reports are due on July 1 of each year. In June 2000, EPA ordered nearly 400 drinking water systems in New York State to complete Consumer Confidence Reports or face fines. The majority of systems have complied, but 16 have yet to respond to EPA’s order. EPA is enforcing these requirements until the New York State Department of Health receives the authority to enforce the federal rule. "These reports are very important, because they give water consumers basic, easy to understand information about the quality of the water they drink," said Jeanne M. Fox, EPA Region 2 Administrator. EPA does not take this requirement lightly, and we will fine systems that do not fulfill it. I encourage these systems to step up to the plate and work with EPA to come into compliance. If they cooperate and settle with EPA, the fines can be reduced. If they continue to ignore or fight us, they will face considerably stiffer fines." EPA has issued complaints to: Brunswick Hillside Apartments, Johnsonville Carraine Mobile Home Park, Stormville Dover Ridge Estates, Poughquag Evergreen Village Trailer Park, Pittsford Golden Horseshoe Trailer Park, Pittsford Hudson View Water Works, Wappinggers Falls Mansard Apartments, Cohoes Maplebrook School, Amenia Mobile Manor Mobile Home Park, Elbridge Mountain Lodge park Development, Monroe Mt. Orange Trailer Park, Warwick Pheasant Hill, Unionville Poughquag Hamlet Water Improvement, Poughquag Shady Homes Trailer Park, Dover Plains Slate Hill (Green), New Hampton Valley Brook Cottages, Putnam Valley Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, annual reports must be completed for all public drinking water supplies. In New York State, more than 2400 drinking water systems are required to complete the reports. The reports must, among other things, identify the source of the drinking water, summarize the system’s susceptibility to contamination, show the level of any contaminant found in local drinking water and give the federal standard for that contaminant, identify the likely source and potential health effects of the contaminant and describe how the contaminant was reduced back to safe levels. Systems serving more than 10,000 people must mail their reports directly to consumers and must make the reports available through the Internet. Systems serving between 500 and 10,000 people must make the reports available on request and must publish the report in the local newspaper. Those systems serving fewer than 500 people must inform consumers about the report and make it available upon request. For more information, go to EPA's  Consumer Confidence Reports Web site.