PFOA Contamination Response: Community Updates
Week of 04/25/2016
bloodThis Saturday, April 30: last day to register for blood draw
More than 300 residents of Bennington area have registered for blood draw clinics to begin this Friday, April 29th. If you wish to participate and have not signed up yet, you have two more days register!

Eligibility - 
A person is eligible for the blood test if:
  1. The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation tested the well of the home in North Bennington/Bennington where you live now, or where you lived any time in the past eight years. - and/or -
  2. You worked or lived at the former Chemfab/Saint-Gobain site at 940/1030 Water Street in North Bennington, or you work or live there now.
Registration and Scheduling - To begin the registration process, complete the online survey by April 30 at: http://survey.healthvermont.gov/s3/PFOA-Blood-Draw-Registration.

The Health Department will then contact eligible participants to schedule appointments. Before having blood drawn at the scheduled appointment, a health and exposure questionnaire must be completed for each participant regarding age, water consumption patterns, diet and exercise, work history, health and medical history.

PFOA Blood Draw Clinic for College Students -- The Health Department is offering a special PFOA blood draw clinic for students from eligible households who have been away at college. The clinic will be held at the Health Department district office in Bennington on the morning of Tuesday, May 24. To register your student for this clinic, call the Health Department at 800-439-8550.
photoPFOA Photography Project
Photograph from Peter Crabtree's PFOA Project.
 
Peter Crabtree is regional photographer who has taken interest in capturing the response to local PFOA well contamination in Bennington and Pownal, VT, and Hoosick Falls, NY. His black and white photographs are offer a raw expression of how a lack of clean water can so easily disrupt our day to day lives. View photos at http://petercrabtreephoto.com.

Additional photos can be viewed in Peter's blog.

 If you are interested in becoming part of the project, send Peter an e-mail.
agAgency of Agriculture Answers Gardening Questions in FAQ
  In case you missed one of the community meetings last week, the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets has packed in answers to questions about growing crops and livestock after PFOA concerns into a handy 2-page handout. View the FAQ now.
BenningtonNorth Bennington Update
 
Citizen's Advisory Group -- There has been interest from the community to organize discussions directly with Saint-Gobain to advance citizens' concerns and compensation issues. If you are interested in participating or have questions, please contact Shaina Kasper at (802) 233-4099 or e-mail her at shaina@toxicsaction.org

Drinking water sampling nearby old Bennington Landfill and southeast of Chemfab property -- Please review the updated area of interest map one more time to make sure that you are signing up for water testing if you live within one of the additional sampling areas drawn on the map. Many private wells have been sampled in this area, but there are still a few missing households that the Department would like to reach. Sign-up to have your well tested using this online form.

If your well has been tested, knock on a neighbors' door to make sure he/she is signed-up!

EPA Testing at Bennington Landfill -- The EPA will be sampling deeper groundwater monitoring wells at the former Bennington Landfill site this week to determine how much deeper PFOA may have leached into groundwater. This testing follows sampling done by the EPA earlier in the month, where five monitoring wells surrounding the old landfill were  tested and showed PFOA levels ranging from 18ppt to 140ppt.

Point-of-entry-treatment System Testing Well Underway --  Of the 100+ point-of-entry-treatment systems (POETs) that have been installed on homes, approximately 95 have received follow-up water sampling weeks after installation. Preliminary results have been received by Saint-Gobain's water sampling contractor for about three-quarters of the samples taken, and dozens of systems are effectively removing PFOA to below detection limits. DEC will be contacting residents about their POET systems results as the official results are received.

Bottled water -- If PFOA was detected in your well in any concentration level, DEC contractor W.B. Mason should be delivering bottled water to your home by now. If this isn't happening, please contact W.B. Mason directly at 508-436-8869.

If your well is currently being tested and you are waiting for results, you may pick-up bottled water from D's Market & Deli, 1404 East Road, Bennington. 
 
PownalPownal Update
Carbon filtration to be installed on Fire District #2 supply -- The Pownal Fire District #2 Prudential Committee met last Friday, April 22nd, and voted to have an activated carbon filter installed on the Fire District #2 municipal supply well. The carbon filtration system will act as a temporary solution to treat the town's water supply. APU is expected to cover the costs for this system.  The Fire District #2 Prudential Committee will be continuing to work with an engineer to explore alternative solutions for the town's water supply, which could include a connection to a new water supply. 

Bottled water delivery to begin next week -- 
Starting next week (Mon. May 2), all residents on the on the Pownal Fire District #2 municipal system will be receiving bottled water delivery straight to their homes. Unicorn Management Consultants, LLC (UMC), which is a contractor for APU, will be arranging and paying for home water deliveries. Please view the notice with information that UMC began distributing today for details.

Bottled water pick-up at the Pownal Rescue Squad building will no longer be available after Monday, May 2. For questions on bottled water delivery, contact Michael O'Connor at UMC at (203) 205-9000 ext. 13.  
infoInformation Resources Available
For general PFOA questions and concerns:
Call 2-1-1.
Visit: Vermont DEC PFOA Response Page

For questions about potential health effects of PFOA:
Call the Vermont Department of Health toll-free at 800-439-8550.
Visit: Vermont Department Health PFOA Page

You may also reply to this e-mail with general questions.
You are receiving this e-mail because you have requested to be updated on Vermont's PFOA response efforts. Weekly updates are sent out on Thursdays. If you wish to stop receiving these updates, you may unsubscribe at any time using the link at the bottom of this e-mail. Thank you.