Shaftsbury water tests reveal minimal chemical contamination

SHAFTSBURY, Vt. – Gov. Peter Shumlin says testing of drinking water wells near the closed Shaftsbury landfill in Vermont show minimal contamination from a potentially cancer causing chemical.

Of the 24 wells tested within a quarter mile of the landfill, 16 did not show any perfluorooctanoic acid, known as PFOA.

The Democratic Shumlin says eight wells had PFOA ranging from 4 to 16 parts per trillion, which is below Vermont’s health advisory level of 20 parts per trillion.

The landfill is near the former Chemfab plant in North Bennington, near which more than 200 private water wells have been found with levels of PFOA as high as nearly 3,000 parts per trillion.