The Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics facility sits at 14 McCaffrey Street in Hoosick Falls, New York. Built in 1961 and acquired by Saint-Gobain in 1999, the plant manufactured PTFE-coated fiberglass and other products using PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), a chemical that does not break down easily and can harm human health. The site was added to EPA's National Priorities List on August 2, 2017, after PFOA was detected in the village's public drinking water supply at levels above safe limits in 2015. TCE (trichloroethylene) is also present in the groundwater.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation leads the cleanup investigation with EPA support. In 2016, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics and Honeywell International signed a Consent Order to conduct a combined remedial investigation and feasibility study covering the entire site. That investigation began August 3, 2017, and is still underway. Several interim actions are already in place. A granulated activated carbon filtration system was installed on the municipal water supply wells in 2016, and point-of-entry treatment systems were placed on over 800 private wells. A groundwater interceptor trench built at the facility in 2019 captures and treats contaminated groundwater before it can leave the property. In March 2025, construction finished on a permanent well field and waterline to give the village an alternate water source. EPA air testing at the facility stacks in 2019 found no PFOA in the air. A comprehensive cleanup plan is expected to go out for public comment in 2026.
Currently, there is not enough data to confirm whether human exposure to contamination is under control or whether contaminated groundwater migration has been stabilized. Physical construction of the full cleanup has not been completed, and no remedy selection or Record of Decision has been issued yet. One on-site business remains active, employing 163 people as of December 2024 and generating about $71.4 million in annual sales.
Community members have several ways to stay involved. The local community requested EPA assistance in October 2017, leading to a Technical Assistance Needs Assessment completed and released to the public in September 2018. New York State's Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Health set up a Hoosick Area Community Participation Working Group in 2019. Information about public meetings, a state citizen participation plan, and health advisories about PFOA and PFOS is available through state agency websites and the Village of Hoosick Falls website. Physical records can be viewed at Cheney Library in Hoosick Falls, the Village Municipal Building, NYSDEC Region 4 in Schenectady, and the EPA Superfund Records Center in New York City.
