ALBANY, NY – The Albany County Legislature announced its plans to safeguard public health through a new Local Law leading into its monthly legislative meeting on March 10, 2025. The measure is earmarked to go before the Legislature’s Law Committee and Health Committee for review later this month.

Local Law B for 2025 will set notification standards for County health officials to follow up with local municipalities, the County Legislature, and County Executive’s Office, if a threat to soil or water in the County is detected.

Recently, the discovery of E. Coli in private wells in Bethlehem, the deaths of a flock of geese near the Clapper Road water treatment plant in Selkirk, concerns about landfill leachate (chemically-laced water runoff) ending up in the Mohawk and Hudson rivers, and questions about the presence and disposal of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – or “forever chemicals” – have coalesced to spotlight the importance of codifying effective, efficient, and ongoing communication between local, county, and state health and service officials for county legislators.

The Legislature continues to support the current 90-day moratorium on the use of biosolids in the County that McCoy signed in January and intends for the new legislation to be a next step in a wholistic approach for protecting public health.

The law was introduced and sponsored by the Legislature’s Chairwoman Joanne Cunningham who represents the County Legislative District No. 34 which encompasses central Delmar.

Albany County Legislature Chairwoman Joanne Cunningham said: “There are challenges protecting our soil and water – environmental, biological, and chemical – and I’d argue a very useful tool is open communication between all levels of government. Current events have demonstrated how important exchanging information between governmental leaders and departments, scientific and engineering experts, and the public is in ensuring everyone’s safety. Soil and water are everything and we are taking this step to protect them.”

Albany County Legislature Deputy Chairwoman Wanda Willingham said: “This is a step toward the protection of all of Albany County’s soil and water and all of the people that rely on it. While there may be issues in certain parts of the county at the moment, as a legislature we lead all of Albany County. This law will help us proactively addresses issues across the board and serve marginalized communities that may have been overlooked previously.”

Albany County Legislature Democratic Majority Leader Dennis Feeney said: “Albany County’s residents, schools, and businesses deserve clear and timely information about their water quality. This new law is a proactive step to ensure local leaders can act quickly to protect public health. Our Democratic Caucus remains committed to advancing strong policies that increase government transparency and keep our community safe.”

Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy said: “We want to make sure local officials have the information they need to make informed decisions. We are committed to working with the legislature to develop a proactive approach to safeguarding public health in Albany County.”