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Equipment used to test for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known collectively as PFAS, in drinking water at Trident Laboratories in Holland, Mich., on June 18, 2018. Cory Morse/The Grand Rapids Press via AP
MOUNT HOPE, N.Y.—New York is launching a pilot program to provide residents who get their drinking water from private wells with free testing for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as forever chemicals, in six counties.
The state announced on March 9 that the Private Well PFAS Testing and Mitigation Rebate Pilot Program is currently receiving applicants in Dutchess and Putnam counties. The pilot will be expanding to Orange, Suffolk, Ulster, and Westchester counties in the coming months as contracts with the counties are finalized. The counties were chosen because they have many private wells and a higher likelihood of contamination by forever chemicals.
The New York State Department of Health, the Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Environmental Facilities Corporation have budgeted $1.5 million for each county for the program.
Information on eligibility and application for the program can be found at the Department of Health’s website, and applications will be accepted as long as funds last.
The test involves taking a 250 milliliter sample of well water and testing it for forever chemicals over a 24-hour period.
If levels of forever chemicals in drinking water exceed the New York State drinking water standard of 10 nanograms per liter, the well owner can apply for up to $5,000 for a per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances treatment system or up to $10,000 to connect to a public water utility.
Home services marketplace Angi estimates that the national average well water treatment system costs $2,300, with installation averaging $1,200 to $3,600. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that Granular Activated Carbon filters, Ion Exchange Resin filters, and Reverse Osmosis filters are all effective at catching forever chemicals.
A 2022 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study of residents in the area around the Stewart Air National Guard Base in Orange County found a higher-than-average presence of certain forever chemicals in their blood. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that drinking water from the City of Newburgh area may have contributed to higher chemical levels.
The Private Well PFAS Testing and Mitigation Rebate Pilot Program came from Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2026 State of the State directive for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in New York.
