“CLARENDON — The latest rounds of tests on the well serving Clarendon Elementary School now show no chemical contamination, suspected to have come from the nearby Fire Department.
Despite the good news, a school spokeswoman said Thursday students would continue to use bottled water for the rest of the school year…
Matt Moran, environmental program manager for the Department of Environmental Conservation, said Thursday the school’s well had been tested three times so far, with the first and third tests coming back clear with no detectable levels of the per and polyfluoroalkyl (PFA) substances…
He said the school’s well had showed about 2 parts per trillion in the second test, which he called ‘a trace.’
So far, the state has tested 35 bedrock wells and one spring in the area of the Rutland Southern Vermont Regional Airport and the neighboring business park. Of those 35, 17 showed detectable levels of PFAs, but with only five exceeding the state’s advisory level. No contamination was found at the airport itself.
More tests will be conducted next week, as the state tries to map the plume of the contamination, he said…
He said he didn’t have an explanation for why the well tested positive — even at extremely low levels — and now didn’t. He said another round of tests on the school’s well would be conducted next week, and the school would be put on a regular round of testing…
Moran said the potential problem near the Clarendon Fire Department was unrelated to the problem at the Rutland Airport Business Park in North Clarendon.
He said the Fire Department acts as a backup firefighting agency to the airport’s fire crew, and the department stores airport firefighting equipment that contain PFAs.”
Read the full article by Susan Smallheer