Editor’s note: This article by Edward Damon of the Bennington Banner was first published Friday, Nov. 25, 2016.
[B]ENNINGTON — Officials hope to break ground on a project to extend municipal water lines to properties with wells contaminated by a potentially harmful chemical sometime in 2017.
The state has signed a contract with two firms to begin the first phase of final design work around Bennington and North Bennington, estimated to cost about half a million dollars, Gov. Peter Shumlin announced this week.
The state already committed to pay for final design services, which were estimated to cost $2 million, in the absence of an agreement with Saint-Gobain Corp. The Department of Environmental Conservation says the French multinational company is potentially responsible for contamination from the manmade chemical PFOA. Officials have said they will recover costs from Saint-Gobain and that talks between the company and state are ongoing.
The state has contracted with Otter Creek Engineering and MSK Engineering & Design to complete the first phase of final design work, estimated to be about $444,000. Those firms will analyze and estimate all expenses and logistics for a preliminary layout of water line extensions. The final design work will include fly-overs to take aerial photos, assessing environmental conditions and evaluating potential water quality impacts, according to a news release from Shumlin’s office.
“Our goal is to break ground for construction in 2017,” DEC Commissioner Alyssa Schuren said in prepared remarks. “We have an aggressive schedule and we aim to meet it.”
PFOA, or perfluorooctanoic acid, was used in industry for decades to manufacture the non-stick coating Teflon. PFOA has been linked to health problems such as kidney and testicular cancers, thyroid diseases and high cholesterol. It was found in some private wells serving homes and businesses in Bennington and North Bennington, but not the municipalities’ public water systems. The suspected source is the former Chem-Fab factory in North Bennington, which Saint-Gobain operated for two years before closing it in 2002.
The state tested private drinking water wells in North Bennington and Bennington for PFOA and related chemicals, after concerns over past industrial activities. Of 544 wells, 270 were found to have levels at or above 20 parts per trillion, the state’s health advisory limit. Point-of-entry filtration systems were installed on 260 private wells. The state also paid to extend municipal lines to 10 properties on and near Northside Drive.
Saint-Gobain agreed to pay for the filters’ installation, maintenance and testing. But residents and officials have been vocal about the need to expand public water systems to affected homes and businesses, calling it a more preferable solution. It could cost upwards of $30 million to connect impacted homes in the village and town to the respective municipal water systems, according to two engineering reports released this summer.
“While negotiations continue, we are not waiting to start the process of getting an acceptable long-term drinking water solution for impacted residents in Bennington County,” Shumlin said in a news release this week. “The people of Bennington County who have been affected by this crisis have shown incredible patience and perseverance. Until a long-term solution is in place, we will continue to be there every step of the way.”
