STILLWATER, N.Y. -- "How many times do I take a sip of coffee and I said, I wonder if they're still in here floating around. It's creepy."
Joyce Kelly lived in Stillwater all her life where many get their drinking water from the Hudson River.
"It scares you because every time you go to get a glass of water...my granddaughter won't drink the water," Kelly said.
A new report by the New York State Department of Health says PCBs are in a number of town and village drinking water supplies. Our Steve Ference finds out what it means - and what may be done about it.
A New York State Department of Health report shows there are PCBs in the Hudson, affecting Stillwater, Halfmoon, Waterford, Green Island, Rhinebeck, Port Ewen and Poughkeepsie. But a Health Department spokeswoman told us, "The results we got back were well within state drinking water standards. They ranged from three to fifty times below the standard...We wouldn't recommend not drinking the water."
Stillwater Town Supervisor Shawn P. Connelly said, "It's cumulative in your body, and we just don't know, it's too early. We shouldn't mess with it."
Connelly isn't happy about the news. Filters apparently don't eliminate PCBs so Connelly doesn't want to take a chance, especially when he fears dredging - set to begin in the spring - could cause those PCB levels to rise.
"The town of Stillwater has to get fresh water before they start dredging," Connelly said.
But does he think that will happen?
"Well, it has to happen," he said, "otherwise we're going to do everything in our power to keep them from dredging."
In the end, Stillwater is left at the crossroads with few options. One of them includes trying to build infrastructure that could cost as much as $7.5 or $8 million for the pipes and everything you'd need to bring in fresh water. But the EPA doesn't seem to want to go for that at this point.
"We don't want to be the test subjects," Connelly said. "We don't want 20 years from now saying, well, the people of Stillwater have a higher rate of cancer because of the PCBs."
Connelly said they're looking at if they can get water from the county in time, while Kelly has since moved to Mechanicville. The water is only a small reason, but she's in luck. Mechanicville's water was just declared the best tasting in a local contest.
"Where do you start? Really. I have no idea. How many millions it will cost. What's right and wrong. You don't know which way to go," she said.
A town meeting will take place next Tuesday to discuss the issue.