A program to maintain the filtration systems that are removing harmful forever chemicals from private well water in Fairfield and Benton has stalled as state regulators look for a consultant to oversee the work.
The $25 million program was set up in 2021 by the state to test licensed sludge land application sites statewide and to install filtration systems in homes where private well drinking water tested for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, at 20 parts per trillion or higher.
The contract for the Somerset County towns of Fairfield and nearby Benton is up for rebidding now. The selection is taking longer than expected, but residents should hear from a consultant this month to schedule a test, according to David Madore, deputy commissioner at the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
The timeline is worrying residents, including Ashley Reny of Fairfield, who rely on the filters for clean water.
“I know there hasn’t been a selection made yet. This is a little unsettling to me because we haven’t had our water tested in a few months, and it doesn’t seem like they are working too quickly to pick someone,” she told the BDN.
Reny and her husband, Tony Reny, bought their home in January 2020 and had their water tested, but standard tests do not check for PFAS. When they later discovered their property on Howe Road was a hot spot for PFAS contamination in Fairfield, they tested for PFAS, which showed a 20,000 parts per trillion reading in their well water, or 1,000 times the state limit. One part per trillion is about one drop in 500,000 buckets of water, illustrating how even a tiny amount of PFAS can potentially lead to health issues.
Other residents have raised their concerns on the “Fairfield water concerned citizens” Facebook group, where at least a dozen members complained that their water was not tested since last fall. Several said they wrote to the state’s environmental department but received no responses.
Testing of the activated carbon filtration systems typically happens from one to four times a year, depending on the concentration of PFAS, but it can be as often as every 45 days, according to Town Manager Michelle Flewelling. Filter changeouts and upkeep can run up to $5,300 a year, a cost that so far has been covered by the state. However, that funding could run out in two to five years, a new report by Fairfield’s PFAS committee noted.
Exposure to PFAS has been linked to certain cancers and increases in cholesterol levels, according to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Most people in the United States have some level of PFAS in their bodies, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. PFAS chemicals are ubiquitous in society, being used in products from water-repellent clothing to nonstick cookware and some cosmetics. The chemicals have water-, heat- and grease-resistant properties. They are called “forever chemicals” because they break down very slowly in the environment.
The environment department said testing should resume soon. It issued a request for proposals for a consultant to oversee filter sampling and maintenance in Fairfield and Benton on Jan. 12, with proposals due Feb. 3. The department has reviewed the proposals and is in the process of selecting a consultant, Madore said. The award documents will be posted on the Office of State Procurement Services website once finalized.
The evaluation took longer than expected, Madore said, so the department is in the process of retaining its previous contractors to conduct monitoring for the first three months of this year.
“Residents should expect to hear from these consultants this month to schedule sampling,” he said.
Lori Valigra reports on the environment for the BDN’s Maine Focus investigative team. Reach her at [email protected]. Support for this reporting is provided by the Unity Foundation, a fund at the Maine Community Foundation and donations by BDN readers.
