“The number of private wells in Wainscott with trace or elevated levels of contaminants that could affect fetal health and the immune system has grown to 135, or more than half of those tested, according to East Hampton’s town supervisor.
The town now has data on 258 tested wells. Of those, nine were found to contain perfluorinated compounds, or PFCs, above the federal health advisory level of .07 parts per billion, Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc said Tuesday during a town board work session. Another 126 wells had traces of the contaminants, but not above that advisory level.
In 2017, 25 wells were initially tested and one was found to have perfluorinated compounds above the advisory level. The results spurred the Suffolk County Department of Health Services to expand the testing.
Officials have said as many as 398 homes could be affected. A mix of second-home owners and year-round residents lives in the area, where homes are frequently listed for $1 million or more…
The town has since provided bottled water to affected residents.
Town officials have said the cause of the contamination is likely from firefighting foam used during drills at the East Hampton Airport.
The town has discussed funding point of entry water filtration systems on affected properties and is working with the Suffolk County Water Authority to bring public water to the area.
Additionally, $360,000 has been allotted in the 2018-20 capital budget — which is soon expected to be adopted by the board — to install water filtration in the area.”
Read the full article by Vera Chinese.