The New York State Department of Public Service said Hudson Valley Water Company was “unwilling or unable” to provide safe and reliable service, citing years of water outages and repeated failures to notify customers during emergencies.
The state investigation began in February 2024 following years of complaints from the company’s 435 customers in Ulster and surrounding counties. In Boiceville alone, residents endured at least a half-dozen “do not drink” orders between 2021 and 2025, including periods when more than 100 customers were left without running water. The most recent outage stretched 45 days last fall.
In a report published Dec. 24, the Department of Public Service said the Woodbury-based supplier repeatedly failed to notify customers in a timely manner about “do not drink” orders and did not provide emergency generators, new meters, or other necessary repairs. The report also stated that the agency has the authority to appoint a temporary operator to replace Hudson Valley Water Company.
Department spokesperson James Denn said the agency will not decide whether to replace the supplier until a 30-day public comment period ends Jan. 23. Comments may be submitted through the department’s website. As of this week, 26 comments had been filed, including submissions from State Sen. Michelle Hinchey, Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha, and Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger.
For months, those elected officials publicly criticized the department for what they described as delays in removing the troubled company.
“The failings of a private company cannot be the reason our constituents don’t have reliable and safe access to water,” Shrestha told The Overlook after the most recent “do not drink” order was lifted in early December. “The obvious long-term solution is that we should be able to buy out this company and run it as a public service and put it in the hands of competent people who’re not driven by profits.”
The department has said it does not have the legal authority to compel another company to take over Hudson Valley Water Company and that it has been unable to find a willing replacement. That position is reiterated in the report.
Jeffrey Fuller, owner of Hudson Valley Water Company, said in an email that he plans to respond to the report by the deadline next week but declined further comment.
Laurie Wheelock, executive director and counsel of the Public Utility Law Project, a nonprofit advocacy group working with Hudson Valley Water customers, said the public comment period could still lead to meaningful change.
“The details and stories customers share will be important to the entire process,” Wheelock said in an email. “From the appointment of an independent operator, to the long term potential for a different owner, either municipal or private. The comment period is an important opportunity to address all of these factors.”
Jim Rich is a senior reporter for The Overlook. You can reach him at jim@theoverlooknews.com.
