PFOA Contamination Response: Community Updates
Week of 05/02/2016
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bloodMore North Bennington results; blood draw clinic deadline extended to May 31
On Tuesday, Gov. Peter Shumlin released drinking water test results for PFOA from a new area of testing south of the Bennington Landfill. Of the 40 wells, three had no detection of PFOA, three had below 20 parts per trillion, and 34 had detections above 20 parts per trillion. The highest detection in was 201 ppt. Vermont's health advisory level for drinking water is 20 parts per trillion. The majority of the new results were from residences with private wells.

To allow residents of this new area of testing who may wish to have their blood tested for PFOA, the Health Department has extended its registration deadline to May 31. Anyone in North Bennington/Bennington who has had their well tested by the Department of Environmental Conservation is eligible for PFOA blood draw clinics. To begin the registration process, complete the online survey by May 31 at: http://survey.healthvermont.gov/s3/PFOA-Blood-Draw-Registration.

To read the full press release with more details, click here. 
statewideWater Testing Near Essex and Winooski Sites Test Clean for PFOA
MONTPELIER -- Gov. Shumlin released today preliminary test results from private water supplies surrounding two former wire-coating facilities in Essex and Winooski.  All samples showed no presence of the potentially harmful chemicals PFOA and PFOS.
 
The two sites are former locations of local wire coating and cable extrusion companies Belden Wire & Cable (Essex) and Super-Temp Wire and Cable (Winooski). An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) contractor took five samples from residential wells near the former Belden Wire & Cable site in Essex, and five samples from wells owned by businesses near the former Super-Temp site in Winooski. All test results were non-detect for PFOA.
 
The two former facilities represent two of eleven sites identified in a statewide plan announced by the Governor in March to proactively test water in locations where there could be concern for elevated levels of PFOA. The wire coating industry, semi-conductor industry, and locations where fire-fighting foam was used repeatedly were identified as places that should be tested.
 
The test results released today mean that water supplies sampled at four out of the eleven sites outlined in the statewide plan and tested by the EPA have now tested clean for PFOA. Testing of water supplies around Pittsford Fire Academy (Pittsford) and Phoenix Wire (South Hero) also returned results where PFOA was not detected.
BenningtonNorth Bennington & Bennington Update
Announcement from Toxics Action Center > Community Advisory Council --
A group is organizing together to discuss community concerns directly with Saint-Gobain. Please join us in a kick-off meeting to help plan the advisory council and come up with the list of questions and concerns on May 11th at 7pm at the Bennington College CAPA Symposium room. Please contact Shaina Kasper at 802-223-4099 or [email protected] if you have any questions. 

Fifty-two additional samples collected in North Bennington and Bennington this week -- Residents are still signing up to have their wells sampled, with at least 15-20 more private wells scheduled for sampling next week. Please help DEC concentrate its efforts by speaking with your neighbors and reviewing the updated area of interest map 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. Sign-up to have your well tested using this online form.
 
Status of point-of-entry-treatment system (POET) results -- Many people have been reaching out to DEC to ask when they will receive results from follow-up water testing after POET installation at their homes. It should be reemphasized that 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. There have been some logistical issues with mailing out official results to residents, so please exercise patience as we work with the contractor to resolve the issues and deliver results. 

Bottled water -- 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. A new batch of bottled water was delivered to the store yesterday, May 4th. 

Northside Drive municipal connections update -- Ten wells were sampled along Northside Drive in Bennington where the Chemfab facility was originally located. Testing results showed six of the ten private wells contained concentrations of PFOA above 20 parts per trillion health advisory limit. Three wells contained PFOA below the 20 parts per trillion limit, and one was non-detect.
 
Most residences in this area are connected to the Bennington municipal water system, which is clean. One impacted home that was tested earlier has already been connected to the municipal system. The additional five impacted homes will receive point-of-entry treatment systems will be connected to the municipal water system in the next month.  
 
PownalPownal Update
Carbon filtration to be installed on Fire District #2 supply -- The carbon filtration system that will be installed as a temporary solution for treating the Pownal's municipal water supply is expected to be installed in 4-8 weeks. 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 this week (Mon. May 2), all residents on the on the Pownal Fire District #2 municipal system should be receiving bottled water delivery straight to their homes. If you have questions about your bottled water delivery, please contact Michael O'Connor at (203) 205-9000 ext. 13. 

Bottled water pick-up at the Pownal Rescue Squad building is no longer available.

Pownal Tannery results -- Testing results were received from nine monitoring wells surrounding the former Pownal Tannery. Samples were collected from monitoring wells at the Dean Hill Landfill site and the lagoon area located by the Pownal wastewater treatment plant to determine if PFOA contamination was present at these locations. All five samples collected from the Dean Hill Landfill Site contained PFOA less than 20 parts per trillion. Four samples collected near the lagoon area ranged from non-detect to 200ppt.  Additional sampling is planned for the lagoon portion of the site, including residences with private wells in this area.

The site of the former Pownal Tannery, which closed its doors in 1988, is listed under the EPA's Superfund program for long-term remediation. 
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.