Hudson 7 Has Been Tracking PFAS at the Dutchess County Fire Training Center for Nearly Six Years

  
The Hudson 7 has been following PFAS contamination at the Dutchess County Fire Training Center in Hyde Park for nearly six years. As the site moves from investigation toward cleanup, we are continuing to advocate for protections that account not only for contamination at the site, but for what happens downstream.

Our involvement dates back to November 2020, when the Hudson 7 discussed the Fire Training Center after it was added to the New York State Superfund Registry. Brad Barclay, formerly of the Dutchess County Department of Planning and Development, provided an update to the Hudson 7, including concerns about the historical use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam, ongoing testing, and potential cleanup responsibilities.

Since then, Hudson 7 Technical Advisor Eric Weinstock, a hydrologist, has picked up where Brad left off, closely following the investigation and providing the council with nearly monthly updates as the work progressed. His technical review has helped keep the Hudson 7 focused on the connection between contamination at the site, the Fall Kill, and the Hudson River drinking water supply.
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Six years after Hudson 7 first began tracking the issue, the investigation is complete—and the findings confirm the importance of those concerns.

According to NYSDEC's July 2026 fact sheet, the remedial investigation found PFAS contamination in soil, groundwater, stormwater, surface water, and sediment. The investigation also documented the movement of PFAS-contaminated water toward the Fall Kill, a tributary of the Hudson River approximately four miles downstream. That downstream connection is central to the Hudson 7's concern. 

On August 24, 2026, Hudson 7 successfully submitted Eric's detailed comments on the Remedial Investigation Report. The comments bring together the local concerns of Hyde Park and its Conservation Advisory Council with the broader regional responsibility of the Hudson 7 to protect downstream drinking water. Among other recommendations, the comments call on NYSDEC to consider a more protective surface water standard for the Fall Kill and to include long-term PFAS monitoring and a contingency plan to protect Hudson River drinking water intakes if PFAS concentrations increase

The Hudson 7 will continue to follow the Fire Training Center Site cleanup as NYSDEC moves toward the Feasibility Study and Preliminary Remedial Action Plan or PRAP.  In accordance with the Site's Citizen's Participation Plan, the PRAP requires that a mandatory public meeting and 30-day public comment period be completed before the Plan is finalized.