The Woodstock Environmental Commission is urging the Town Board to take immediate action to remove what it estimates to be roughly 200 truckloads of contaminated construction debris at 10 Church Road in Shady—material the group says poses a potential threat to the public water system and nearby private wells. No scientific analysis to date has directly linked PFOS found in Woodstock’s water supply to the Church Road site.
In a letter sent last week, the commission wrote that “approximately 200 truckloads of contaminated construction debris remain at 10 Church Road in Shady as a known threat to the town’s Public Water System if not already the source of PFOS contamination.” According to the letter, the debris was excavated under the now-invalidated Plan E remediation plan and “originated from the shuttered Karolys yard in Saugerties,” where it was “shredded and screened to hide the true nature of the contaminants.”
The commission cited sworn testimony from Francesca Conigliaro during prior litigation brought by the town, which it said established the material’s origin.
Town codes 192-4 and 260-49 prohibit dumping non-compostable waste or maintaining private disposal areas, particularly when contaminants are present. The commission warned that environmental professionals have already identified toxic compounds at the site that “will leach directly into our main supply aquifer and neighboring private wells” if the material is not removed.
A 2023 HydroQuest report, prepared by hydrologists and geologists and addressed to the town supervisor, also concluded that “the only acceptable remedy is complete removal of the offending material.” The commission wrote that because years have passed without corrective action, it is “highly probable that leaching into the undisturbed earth above the aquifer has already occurred.”
The letter—signed by commission members Joe Otters, Arlene Weisman, Ken Panza, Evan Neumann, Stacy Andersen, Laurie Kirby, and Susan Paynter—called for the immediate hiring of a qualified hydrologist, hydrogeologist, or geologist to oversee further testing and mitigation. PFOS, part of a class of “forever chemicals” associated with thyroid disease and some cancers, has been present in the town water system for three years, though experts have not conducted any analysis linking that contamination to 10 Church Road.
Plan E called for testing a few samples of fill, removing any contaminated spots, and shifting some of the remaining material elsewhere on the property. Environmental commissioners said the plan was too limited to address the full extent of debris, and a court later invalidated it.
Few residents have followed the site more closely than Marcel Nagele, a local construction business owner who ran for town board and has spent years studying the situation.
“The EPA is clear, there is no safe limit on this stuff,” Nagele said. “It’s cost me a lot. Thousands of hours, a distraction from running my business. I’m fed up with injustice.”
Nagele said Plan E never resulted in an actual cleanup.
“The only proof of remediation was the removal of four loads of concrete and asphalt done in April 2023,” he said. “Plan E was bogus.”
“Six professional geologists concluded it is largely unrecognizable and that it is contaminated,” he added.
Town Board member Bennet Ratcliff said he supports the commission’s call for action.
“It is clear there is an illegal dump at 10 Church Road,” Ratcliff said. “WEC sent a letter two and a half years ago. I’m hopeful the new Town Board will act on the situation. The only person standing in the way is Bill McKenna.”
Supervisor Bill McKenna said on Friday that he didn’t fully read the letter, but felt “the DEC doesn’t see a link and I don’t see an issue.” McKenna added, “I’m not an expert. I went to the authorities [DEC], and asked their opinions.” McKenna also called into question the expertise of the Woodstock Environmental Commission. “They are civilians who were appointed. The cleanup was sufficient.”
“The Woodstock Environmental Commission stands ready to assist the Town Board with any further information or assistance that may be needed,” the letter concludes.
Noah Eckstein is the editor-in-chief of The Overlook. Send correspondence to noah@theoverlooknews.com.