POWNAL, Vt. (AP) - More testing, including drinking water samples, will be done around a former town landfill in Pownal after potentially toxic chemicals were found in surface and shallow groundwater at the site.
The town found out two years ago that the West Landfill was inadequately lined and covered when it was closed in the 1980s, the Bennington Banner reported. An assessment showed that some of the buried materials had started to leak into the groundwater and move away from the site.
The next groundwater testing will include “an initial round of drinking water samples,” said Shawn Donovan, of state Department of Environmental Conservation, on Monday.
About a dozen private wells are being considered for testing, he said. Information from deep bedrock private wells will help to determine the extent of the contamination and if it extends into deeper groundwater, he said.
If higher than allowed levels of PFAS are found in private wells, filter systems or other mitigation efforts could be considered, he said.
PFAS compounds have increasingly turning up in public water supplies and private wells around the country. They were used in firefighting foam, nonstick pots and pans, water-repellent clothing, and many other household and personal items.
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