PFOA Contamination Response: Community Updates
April 2017
You are receiving this e-mail because you have requested to be updated on Vermont's PFOA response efforts, or because your well was recently sampled. If you wish to stop receiving these updates, you may unsubscribe at any time using the link at the bottom of this e-mail. 

NOTE: We will now be sending community updates on a monthly basis.
   

Thank you.
The Agency of Natural Resources will host a community meeting on April 27, 2017 at 7:00pm at Tishman Lecture Hall at Bennington College. Please join us.
A blood draw clinic has been scheduled for June 6, 2017, at the Health Department's Bennington Local Health Office. This clinic is for eligible individuals who have not yet had their blood tested.
 
Eligibility for Blood Testing - You are eligible if:

The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation tested the well of the home in North Bennington or Bennington where you live now, or where you lived any time in the past eight years, 
AND/OR 
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.

 

You have not yet had your blood tested for PFOA by the Vermont Department of Health.

 
To register for the upcoming clinic, complete the online registration:
 
People who are eligible for the clinic will be contacted by Health Department staff to set an appointment.
 
Individuals who are not eligible but want to have their blood tested for PFOA should contact their health care provider. Here is a list of private labs that will test blood for PFOA .
 
Test Results -  In July 2016, the Health Department mailed results to each person who took part in the earlier blood testing clinics. In early February 2017, the Health Department mailed results to each person who took part in the November 2016 blood draw clinic.

BenningtonNorth Bennington & Bennington Update
Re-Sampling Water Supply Wells
Re-sampling of water supplies within the "Area of Interest"  is well underway for homes where  PFOA concentrations were less than 20 parts per trillion in the previous sampling round.  This re-sampling effort is expected to be completed within the next two weeksArea-wide sampling has been ongoing since February 2016, producing enough data to help the state determine the boundaries of the "Area of Interest." View the site map to see the boundaries.

Ongoing POET Sampling
Sampling is also ongoing for water supplies where point-of-entry treatment systems (POETs) have been installed. POET sampling is taking place using methods that are consistent approved POET operation and maintenance plan. The plan can be found at the following link: http://dec.vermont.gov/commissioners-office/pfoa/communities

Site Investigation Activities
Starting April 17th, 2017, additional site investigation activities will take place near the Bennington Landfill to better understand groundwater flow and PFOA levels of soils and groundwater. At the request of the Agency of Natural Resources (Agency), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is working with the Agency to drill additional monitoring wells and collect soil and groundwater samples immediately west and southwest of the landfill.
 
Preliminary Engineering Design Plans for Bennington/North Bennington Submitted to DEC for Review
Preliminary engineering design plans were provided to DEC's Drinking Water and Groundwater Protection Division (the Division) last week by the Town of Bennington and the Village of North Bennington. On Monday, April 10, 2017, representatives of the Division met with engineers from all consulting engineering firms involved in the process to review the preliminary engineering design plans.   



Work to develop a new water source for Pownal Fire District #2 continues.  Unicorn Management Consultants (UMC), who is managing the project on behalf of the Pownal Fire District #2 public water system, has applied for new source permits for several of the prospective well locations with the assistance of consultants and Otter Creek Engineering. DEC's Drinking Water & Groundwater Protection Division is reviewing those applications.

infoInformation Resources Available
For general PFOA questions and concerns:
Call 802-828-1138.
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.
You may also reply to this e-mail with general questions.