New County Webpage Helps Residents Learn More about Drinking Water Quality Monitoring

Poughkeepsie…A new resource is available for residents who want to learn more about their drinking water. The Dutchess County Department of Health has put together an easy-to-navigate webpage that outlines who is responsible for specific water supplies and where residents can get additional data and access research to become informed water consumers. The new webpage can be found on the County’s website www.dutchessny.gov.

“Safe drinking water is a fundamental human need and we all share in the responsibility to be informed about the water we drink,” said Dutchess County Executive Marcus J. Molinaro. “It is important that residents have the resources to understand what agencies and resources are involved water quality monitoring and how they can assess a wide range of data and information.”

“This new resource offers a quick and easy way for residents to learn who is responsible for various aspects of water quality monitoring and where they can get more information about their drinking water supply,” said Acting Commissioner of Health Kari B. Reiber, MD. “There is a wide variety of information sources about water quality available. This new webpage gives residents a great resource to easily access that information and take an active part in protecting their drinking water supply.”

The webpage outlines the various agencies at the federal, state and local levels that have a role in water quality monitoring. The Dutchess County Department of Health serves as a regulatory agency that monitors public water supplies’ compliance with New York State’s Sanitary Code as well as Dutchess County’s Sanitary Code. The DCDOH monitors more than 700 public water systems countywide.

The new webpage includes information about:

• Public Water Supply monitoring including sampling, testing and reporting.
• Private Well Water Supplies including steps homeowners can take to protect their drinking water supply
• Sewage Disposal System Impact on Water including subdivision plan review and individual lot approvals
• Local Municipal Laws regarding Private Well Testing
• Valuable resources and data including links to the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Database of Environmental Remediation Sites and Spill Incidents

Dutchess County Legislator Margaret Horton, who represents the Town of East Fishkill, said, “When people have questions about the quality of their drinking water, they often do not know where to go for information. This new webpage provides a very helpful overview of water monitoring activities and connects residents with valuable data and information. This is an important resource and I appreciate the effort that went into creating it.”

To directly access the new water quality monitoring webpage, click here