Public Meeting on Bennington & North Bennington Engineering Reports
State Provides Updates on PFOA-Related Blood Clinic, Water Testing
WHAT: State officials, local officials, and contracted engineers will host a public meeting to discuss preliminary engineering reports for municipal drinking water line extensions in North Bennington and Bennington. State officials will also provide updates on the blood clinics and water sampling results. Residents of North Bennington and Bennington are encouraged to attend.
WHEN: Wednesday, June 29, 2016 at 5:30 PM
WHERE: Bennington College’s Center for the Advancement of Public Action (CAPA) Symposium
INVITED:
Alyssa Schuren, Commissioner, VT DEC/ANR
Tracy Dolan, Deputy Commissioner, VT Department of Health
Chuck Schwer, Division of Waste Management and Prevention, VT DEC/ANR
Tim Raymond, Division of Drinking Water and Ground Water Protection, VT DEC/ANR
Stu Hurd, Manager, Town of Bennington
Steve Goodkind, Chair of Water Board, Village of Bennington,
David Bond, Bennington College
Jason Dolmetsch, MSK Engineering & Design (Consultant for Town of Bennington)
Mark Youngstrom, Otter Creek Engineering (Consultant for Village of Bennington)
BACKGROUND INFO:
• PFOA contamination in concentrations above 20 parts per trillion has been found in 227 of 432 private wells sampled in North Bennington and Bennington.
• To address immediate health concerns, residents have been encouraged to use bottled water until point-of-entry-treatment (POET) systems are installed in their homes and are functional.
• As part of a long-term solution, the State of Vermont has been working with the Town of Bennington and the Village of North Bennington to evaluate the possibility of extending municipal water lines to affected private wells.
• Municipal line extensions are local decisions that invoke multiple factors, including cost of construction, cost of maintenance, cost-sharing, governance, public health, and future development patterns.
• This meeting will provide local residents with updated information on PFOA blood clinics, water sampling results, and municipal drinking water line extensions.