Read the full article by Kristen Griffith (Carroll County Times)
“Hampstead residents were notified earlier this month that high levels of man-made chemicals were detected in the town’s drinking water.
The Maryland Department of the Environment, or MDE, tested for PFAS substances, or polyfluoroalkyl, man-made chemicals, in November. There was an ‘exceedance of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Lifetime Health Advisory Level’ for the PFAS subgroups PFOS and PFOA in one of the 15 drinking water wells. It was taken out of service after MDE’s results.
The Lifetime Health Advisory Level is 70 parts per trillion, according to the notice. However, the PFOS and PFOA total concentration were 249.3 parts per trillion on Nov. 4. A Nov. 20 sampling and analyses follow-up showed the total concentration was 240.37 parts per trillion.
The town’s notice stated it was not an emergency and residents did not have to do anything differently.
‘They don’t have to boil their water or do anything like that,’ Tammi Ledley, the town manager, told the Times.
She said the town is working with an engineer to develop an action plan and the well will not be ‘back online’ until the action plan is set.
Ledley said a timeline has not yet been set but the money for the action will likely be included in the fiscal 2022 budget which is expected to be approved at the June meeting of the Town Council…”