Kenneth C. Crowe II is reporting for the Times Union the state Department of Environmental Conservation will conduct a new comprehensive soil and water sampling initiative to determine if contaminants from the burning of firefighting foam at the Norlite plant in Cohoes are present in the surrounding communities. DEC will analyze water and soil in Cohoes, Colonie, Green Island and Watervliet to determine the presence of contamination from incinerating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. Th agency’s actions were taken in response to local concerns after it was learned aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF, containing PFAS was disposed at Norlite in 2018 and 2019. “DEC is working with the city of Cohoes and local residents to deploy New York State’s expert scientific capabilities so that we can get real answers about the potential impacts of past AFFF incineration at Norlite,” DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said July 24. The DEC will collaborate with the state Department of Health to take water and soil samples from locations in the four nearby communities, and "...[t]he results will be comprehensively reviewed to determine if there are any environmental impacts noted in the area studied and will guide additional actions in the future,” according to the department. The DEC said its study will be more comprehensive than the one previously conducted by Bennington College. In April, the college’s survey found PFAS in water and soil samples downwind from the Norlite site. Read the full story in the Times Union.