CE Metzger Responds to DPS Report Detailing Failures of HV Water Co.
Published on January 22, 2026
Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger Responds to DPS Investigative Report Detailing Failures of Hudson Valley Water Company
KINGSTON, NY - Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger today issued formal comments in response to the Department of Public Service (DPS) Staff Report on Hudson Valley Water Company (HVWC), which documents years of service breakdowns and regulatory violations by the company and calls for the appointment of a temporary operator.
The DPS investigation, covering 2021 through 2025, found that HVWC is “unwilling or unable” to provide safe, adequate, and reliable service to its 435 customers in the towns of Hurley, Olive, Rosendale, and Saugerties. The report highlights repeated arsenic filter failures in 2023 and 2025, poor communication with customers, failure to notify residents of “Do Not Drink” orders, and a lack of compliance with Commission directives.
County Executive Metzger strongly concurred with the findings, stating:
"HVWC has demonstrated a profound disregard for its customers and their health and safety… The company and its operator have ignored known infrastructure failures, disregarded Commission orders, disregarded the guidance of the Ulster County Department of Health, failed to plan for predictable risks, and failed to notify all customers of system failures and unsafe drinking water, jeopardizing their health… Allowing residents to unknowingly drink arsenic-contaminated water shows a callous disregard for people’s health and safety."
County Executive Metzger stated that Ulster County fully supports DPS’s recommendation that the Public Service Commission appoint a temporary operator capable of safely managing all five HVWC systems until a permanent solution can be found. She further urged the Commission to apply its policy on acquisition incentives to encourage the transfer of ownership to a more responsible operator.
"Water is life, and poor service puts our residents’ health and well-being at risk," County Executive Metzger wrote. "We need a lasting solution that ensures safe, reliable water service for our communities, and I look forward to working with the Towns of Olive, Hurley, Rosendale, and Saugerties to explore options that will protect the drinking water supply of their residents for the long term."
County Executive Metzger also expressed gratitude to the Ulster County Department of Health for its assistance during the investigation and to DPS Staff for their thorough and diligent work, noting that both agencies have stepped in repeatedly to protect residents when the company failed to act.
To view the County Executive’s comments to the Commission, visit: https://ulstercountyny.gov/DPS-report-HVWC-CE-Metzger-response
To view the full ‘2025 Staff Report on Hudson Valley Water Companies, Inc.’, visit: https://ulstercountyny.gov/DPS-report-HVWC