HALFMOON — A month after the first phase of Hudson River dredging ended, the town of Halfmoon has turned on its own water supply again.

During the seven months PCBs were being removed from the Hudson River, the town switched its source of H20 to the city of Troy.

During that period, testing of the town’s own water showed a high spike in PCB levels reaching as high as 600 parts per trillion, 100 more than acceptable levels, said Town Supervisor Mindy Wormuth. Once the dredging work ended, the state Health Department monitored the levels to be certain drinking the water would be safe.

“The levels are back to the same levels they were in 2004 to 2008,” Wormuth said.

That means the water contains between 6 and 13 parts per trillion of PCB’s, she said.

Wormuth said it will take three to four days for the Troy water to work its way out of the system. While that water is treated with flouride, the town’s water is not.

Halfmoon may have to switch water supplies again when the second phase of dredging begins. Before that happens, the state will conduct a review, which could last up to a year, of the first phase of the project.

Banned in 1979, PCB’s — short for polychlorinated biphenyl — can cause cancer and have other adverse effects on the immune system. The chemicals were used in making transformers and other heat-transfer devices.

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