Chemicals found in well water near landfill
KITTERY, Maine (AP) — Officials in have found elevated levels of industrial chemicals and arsenic in well water near a Maine town's landfill.
The Portsmouth Herald reported that routine checks of test wells near the Kittery Resource Recovery Facility, known as the town dump or transfer station, by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection showed elevated contaminant levels at three well sites. The facility is near the old town landfill, which was closed by state order in 1993, and about 4 miles from the New Hampshire border.
The state was checking for chemicals called perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl, industrial chemicals turning up in public water supplies around the country. They were used in such goods as fire-suppressing foam, nonstick pans, fast-food wrappers, and stain-resistant fabric and carpet, but are no longer used in U.S. manufacturing. Water sampling has found contamination in water around military bases, factories and other sites.
The town and the Maine DEP contacted nearby property owners to test their residential wells and gave them bottled water.
Of the results that have come back so far, four residences showed higher PFAS levels in their well systems and three showed elevated arsenic levels, according to the town manager. The town is awaiting results for several properties.
Town officials think that the old landfill could be the source of the industrial chemicals, but the arsenic may come from the natural bedrock.
Related News
From Archive
- HDD industry faces challenges as cities push back on fiber drilling disruptions
- 2 workers killed, 1 injured while working on sewer line in Mobile, Ala.
- Tunnel boring continues under Chesapeake Bay for $3.9 billion HRBT Expansion project
- $5.3 billion, 516-mile pipeline to connect Texas to Arizona through New Mexico
- Judge approves construction for key portion of $485 million pipeline in Larimer County, Colo.
- New products: Latest industry developments
- 31 workers rescued after LA tunnel partially collapses
- Ohio Supreme Court rules sewer line location isn’t a ‘defect’ in property dispute
- Faulconer Construction begins rock blasting for water pipeline project in Charlottesville, Va.
- $5.3 billion, 516-mile pipeline to connect Texas to Arizona through New Mexico
Comments