Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin’s office has announced results from surface water testing in Bennington and North Bennington, as state authorities are hoping to determine the source and extent of a chemical contamination.
Shumlin’s office says ten samples were taken from local creeks and ponds around the former Chemfab plant in North Bennington.
Concentrations of PFOA were found from levels ranging from no detection to 79 parts per trillion, the highest found in the pond on the Bennington College Campus.
Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife Commissioner Louis Porter said it was unlikely levels detected in the waters, including Lake Paran and the Walloomsac River, “would pose an ecological risk to fish and other aquatic organisms.”
State officials will continue testing water and soil in the area and will begin testing fish in the coming weeks.
