NH DES: Water Delivery Expanded in Amherst

AMHERST, NH – The state of New Hampshire announced on June 28, 2016, that bottled water delivery is expanding in Amherst to include homes with private wells within a half a mile of the former Textiles Coated International at 105 Route 101 A.

Jim Martin, the public information officer for the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, said 113 properties with private wells with concentrations of 70 parts per trillion (ppt) of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) are being serviced with the bottled water. Delivery has already begun to the residents in the area with wells with the higher concentrations, he stated.

“Other wells have tested well below those concentrations,” Martin noted in a statement. “Repeat testing of wells within the area is being conducted to confirm results. Until the results are received and analyzed, people within the half-mile radius area will be provided bottled water as a precaution.”

No private drinking water wells outside the half-mile radius – near the Amherst investigation site – have tested near or above 70 ppt.

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PFCs or perfluorochemicals are a man-made chemical used in a variety of products – like non-stick cookware, weather resistant clothing, and carpeting – that makes them resistant to heat, oil, stains, grease, and water. Studies have shown that nearly all people have some level of PFCs in their blood. Potential health effects from exposure to low levels of PFCs are not well understood, according to officials. To date studies have not provided consistent answers as to whether PFCs can affect growth and development hormone levels including thyroid hormone, liver enzyme levels, cholesterol levels, immune function or occurrence of certain types of cancer, according to the state.

The provision of bottled water serves as an interim measure while NHDES continues to investigate and determine the concentrations of contaminants actually present and the appropriate long-term remedy for addressing wells containing elevated levels of the PFCs in groundwater, he noted. The bottled water being provided to residents has tested “non-detect” (levels too low to detect) for all perfluorochemicals (PFCs), including PFOA and PFOS, Martin added.

Information concerning the department’s PFOA investigation has been update online at des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/pfoa.htm.

Questions from the public can be made to the PFOA Public Inquiry Line at 603 271-9461.