Category: Uncategorized

C.T. Male and Skillings & Sons, Inc. have initiated well decommissioning at the properties that have been connected in accordance with the approved work plan.  A copy of the work plan and NHDES’ approval letter can be found on the NHDES OneStop site:

• Click on OneStop site (https://www.des.nh.gov/onestop/index.htm)
• Click on 2nd bullet (One Stop Data)
• In the first fill-in field: Any DES Interest Id – enter the site number: 199712055
• Click “Enter”
• Click on the “Hazardous waste project” link
• Click on the filing cabinet symbol (Site Documents)
• Look for the final well decommissioning work plan and click “show”

Based on the schedule outlined in the Work Plan, NHDES understands that decommissioning work is planned to be completed by November 1, 2018. Please direct any questions to Alan Ux with Skillings &Sons at (603) 459-2600 or alux@skillingsandsons.com.

 

Waterline construction on the Bedford Back River Road project began July 16, 2018. Pennichuck along with N. Granese & Sons and SUR West will be working south along Back River Road as construction progresses. The current status of construction is as follows:

• The water main has been installed on Preysnar and Tirrell Roads and the water main contractor is presently performing pressure and bacteria test. Granese will start installing main to stop services within the public right of way on these two roads.
• Granese started water main installation along Back River Road on August 6, 2018 beginning at the Tirrell Road intersection.
• The water services contractor, SUR West, started their initial inspection with the homeowner(s) and Pennichuck to determine the best location for the stop to end services into the homes. Water service pipe installation will begin August 15, 2018.

Expect road closures along Back River Road during construction. An update on this closure can be found here: https://www.merrimacknh.gov/sites/merrimacknh/files/news/180807_-_press_release_back_river_road_daily_road_closure_detour_map.pdf

 

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services has contracted Dr. Stephen M. Roberts, PhD, to assist the agency with review and evaluation of the ATSDR Draft Toxicological Profile for Perfluoroalkyls.

Dr. Roberts is the Director of the Center for Environmental & Human Toxicology at the University of Florida. Dr. Roberts serves as a Professor with joint appointments in the Department of Physiological Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine, the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics in the College of Medicine, and the Department of Environmental and Global Health in the College of Public Health and Health Professions. Dr. Roberts also serves as an Advisor to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on issues pertaining to toxicology and risk assessment.

Dr. Roberts has been asked to review the draft ATSDR profile and to provide an analysis of how the minimum risk levels (MRL) within the report relate to drinking water and groundwater standards, and how the information can inform the development of appropriate drinking water concentration guidelines that are protective of public health for the four compounds addressed. Dr. Roberts will also help prepare communication materials NHDES could provide to the public regarding these evaluations.

Additionally, NHDES, pursuant to HB 1101 and SB 309, which were recently signed into law by Governor Sununu, is seeking to hire a full-time Toxicologist and a Human Health Risk Assessor to assist with developing drinking water standards for the following PFAS chemicals: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) by January 1, 2019.

 For more information on Dr. Roberts’ background, please refer to:

https://toxicology.vetmed.ufl.edu/personnel/faculty/stephen-m-roberts-phd-3/

http://media.news.health.ufl.edu/misc/egh/Other/CVs/2013/Roberts%20Stephen%20CV%202013.pdf

 

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News from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: June 28, 2018
CONTACT: Jim Martin, (603) 271-3710   
des.nh.gov
twitter.com/NHDES

Opinion/Editorial
Addressing the PFAS Threat to Our Drinking Water –
Robert Scott, NHDES Commissioner

Earlier this week (June 25-26), I attended an important community engagement event sponsored by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address the challenge of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in our environment. In an effort to promote a greater understanding, it is important to provide clarity on recent information released from the federal government that you may have heard in the news and share an update on our ongoing efforts.

PFAS contamination of our environment, especially our groundwater and drinking water, is an issue of growing national concern. While many other states are just becoming educated on PFAS, New Hampshire has been working with PFAS impacted communities for more than four years.

PFAS are a very large group of man-made chemicals that are prevalent in many commercial products, including stain- and water-repellent or nonstick products that we have all used at one time or another. They are also used in industrial and manufacturing processes, and certain types of fire-fighting foam. These chemicals do not break down in the environment and are persistent in the human body causing significant concerns about potential adverse health effects.

In 2016, my department established an Ambient Groundwater Quality Standard (AGQS) for two PFAS chemicals – Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) – based largely on a new EPA lifetime Health Advisory of 70 parts per trillion (ppt) for each of the chemicals separately or in combination. This is not a drinking water standard but rather an enforceable cleanup standard when contaminants are found. New Hampshire is a national leader, being one of only a few states that currently have an enforceable standard in this area.

Additionally, Governor Sununu is poised to sign legislation that provides my department a toxicologist position and a human health risk assessor position that will allow us to propose state rules establishing drinking water standards (MCLs) for the following PFAS chemicals: PFOA, PFOS, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) by January 1, 2019. To accomplish this, we will use the most up-to-date, science-based information available, including the new toxicological profiles recently released by the Agency for Toxic Substance for Disease Registry (ATSDR), which identify Minimal Risk Levels (MRLs) for these chemicals. It is important to note, these are not intended to be regulatory standards, but are used as a screening level that is specific to the investigation of Superfund sites to determine the need for further investigation.

A drinking water standard (i.e., MCL), on the other hand, is a specific enforceable regulatory standard for public water systems that is focused on the protection of human health for all life stages and exposure periods associated with the ingestion of contaminants in drinking water, and is developed using assumptions about other sources of exposure to the contaminant. They also take into account practical considerations such as the extent to which the contaminant is found in New Hampshire, the ability to detect and treat the contaminant in public water systems, and the costs and benefits to affected parties that will result from establishing the standard.

In New Hampshire, because of our proactive sampling efforts, we currently have 40 active PFAS drinking water contamination investigations, and are witnessing first-hand the impact that these PFAS contaminants are having on communities and residents in the Granite State. We look forward to working closely with our community leaders, other states and our federal partners to advance this issue in the coming months and to create a clear path toward greater regulatory certainty and public health protection related to PFAS contamination.
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News from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: June 21, 2018
CONTACT: Jim Martin, (603) 271-3710
des.nh.gov
twitter.com/NHDES

NHDES Statement on Draft ATSDR PFAS Report

Concord, NH – Today, Robert Scott, Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) issued the following statement on the release of the Draft Toxicological Profile for Perfluoroalkyls by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

“NHDES is pleased that the ATSDR has released the Draft Toxicological Profile for PFAS for public review and comment. NHDES is eager to review the draft report as well as the public comments provided to ATSDR, and to use this information to help inform any actions that NHDES should take based on this new information.”

The ATSDR report notice can be accessed in the Federal Register at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/06/21/2018-13385/availability-of-draft-toxicological-profile-perfluoroalkyls and the notice provides directions on how to submit public comments on the report.

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NHDES and representatives for Saint-Gobain held public meetings on May 9, in Merrimack, and May 22, in Bedford to discuss the waterline extension projects. Below are copies of the presentations and meeting materials discussed at the meetings.

Merrimack, May 9 Public Information Meeting:

Merrimack Contacts

Merrimack Waterline FAQs final

NHDES Well Decommissioning Letter May 9, 2018

Merrimack Well Election Form

Private well connection – MVD info letter 5-8-18

Bedford, May 22 Public Information Meeting:

Overall Map of the 4 Project Areas: BedfordConnectionStatus_20180521_Poster

Presentation: Bedford Public Water System Expansion Presentation – Meeting on May 22 2018- final

Bedford Back River Road Project Area:

Bedford Back River Road Contacts

Bedford Back River Road Waterline FAQs

Bedford Back River Road Well Decommissioning Handout

NHDES May 18, 2018 Well Decommissioning Letter

Bedford Well Election Form

Bedford South River Road Project Area:

South River Road Contacts

South River Road Waterline FAQs

South River Road Well Decommissioning Handout

NHDES May 18, 2018 Well Decommissioning Letter

Bedford Well Election Form

Bedford Point of Entry Treatment (POET) Systems:

POET Contacts

Merrimack Back River Road Project Area:

Merrimack Back River Road Contacts

Merrimack Back River Road Well Decommissioning Handout

NHDES May 18, 2018 Well Decommissioning Letter

Merrimack Well Election Form

 

 

 

 

Textiles Coated International (TCI) provided NHDES with a Work Plan for decommissioning water supply wells at properties that are connected to the public water system.  A copy of the work plan and NHDES’ approval letter can be found on the NHDES OneStop site:

• Click on OneStop site (https://www.des.nh.gov/onestop/index.htm)
• Click on 2nd bullet (One Stop Data)
• In the first fill-in field: Any DES Interest Id – enter the site number: 201605022
• Click “Enter”
• Click on the “Hazardous waste project” link
• Click on the filing cabinet symbol (Site Documents)
• Look for the well decommissioning plan and click “show”

The Work Plan and approval letter outline a schedule for decommissioning, starting in May 2018 and ending over the summer 2018.  A summary report is due to NHDES by September 1, 2018.

NHDES understands that in the past few weeks, TCI initiated well decommissioning at some properties in accordance with the approved work plan.  TCI has informed NHDES that they have postponed the remaining decommissioning work while TCI considers the potential for additional water quality testing at some of these locations before the wells are abandoned.  At this time, NHDES understands that this is a temporary delay in the schedule.  Please note that NHDES did not request that TCI stop the decommissioning work.  TCI indicated that they will provide NHDES with a schedule update during the week of May 28, 2018.

News from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: April 23, 2018

CONTACT: Jim Martin, (603) 271-3710

 

Public Information Meetings

Updates on Bedford and Merrimack Waterline Extension Projects

Impacted Property Owners Encouraged to Attend

Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) announced today that public meetings have been scheduled in Bedford and Merrimack to provide updates on the waterline extension projects in those towns.

Affected Merrimack property owners will be contacted and invited to the meeting by Horizons Engineering. Affected properties are listed in Exhibit D of the consent decree (https://www4.des.state.nh.us/nh-pfas-investigation/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/final-cd-20180320.pdf) and are shown on the map at (https://www4.des.state.nh.us/nh-pfas-investigation/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Merrimack_PosterSize_20180321.pdf) . It is important that property owners attend the meeting to meet with Horizons Engineering Corporation to complete necessary paperwork. If affected property owners are unable to attend the meeting, they can call Horizons at (802) 457-3151 to schedule a time for a property visit – a necessary step in designing the waterline connections to each property. The meeting Information is below:

Merrimack Public Meeting:
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
6:30 pm
Merrimack High School Cafeteria
38 McElwain Street, Merrimack, NH 03054

Affected Bedford property owners will be contacted and invited to the meeting by either Pennichuck Corporation or CT Male (Saint-Gobain’s engineering firm). Affected properties are listed in Exhibit D of the consent decree (https://www4.des.state.nh.us/nh-pfas-investigation/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/final-cd-20180320.pdf) and are shown on the map at (https://www4.des.state.nh.us/nh-pfas-investigation/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Bedford_PosterSize_20180321.pdf). It is important that property owners attend the meeting to complete necessary paperwork. The meeting Information is below:

Bedford Public Meeting:
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
6:30 pm
Peter Woodbury Elementary School
180 County Road, Bedford, NH 03110

For more information, please contact James Martin, NHDES Public Information Officer, at (603) 271-3710. Additional information on NHDES’ ongoing investigation into perfluorinated chemicals in New Hampshire drinking water, please visit https://www4.des.state.nh.us/nh-pfas-investigation/

 

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The final consent decree between NHDES and Saint-Gobain can be found here: final-cd-20180320 

Information presented on the consent decree at a public meeting held in Litchfield, NH on March 21, 2018:

Southern NH PFOA Investigation Public Meeting, Litchfield, NH March 21, 2018

Merrimack Waterline Connections Map

Litchfield Waterline Connections Map

Bedford Waterline Connections Map

Exhibit C – Preliminary GMZ and Outer Boundary

News from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: March 20, 2018

CONTACT: Jim Martin, 603 271-3710

des.nh.gov

twitter.com/NHDES

New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Reach Agreement on Consent Decree

Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES), represented by the Office of the Attorney General, and Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics (SGPPL) announced today they have reached an agreement to permanently provide safe drinking water to 302 properties in portions of the towns of Bedford, Litchfield, and Merrimack, New Hampshire in addition to the over 450 properties already being addressed.

“We are extremely pleased that NHDES and Saint-Gobain were able to reach agreement on connecting all of the disputed properties to an alternate water source,” said Robert R. Scott, NHDES Commissioner. “I understand the frustration felt by the residents of Bedford, Litchfield and Merrimack with the amount of time it has taken to come to this point, but we believe that it was vital to negotiate a comprehensive agreement. The positive outcome of these negotiations will serve the residents of this area well over the long-term.”

NHDES and SGPPL have been working cooperatively and without a formal agreement for more than two years in response to the presence of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in groundwater in the area. During this time, more than 1,500 samples have been collected from groundwater, surface water, and water supply wells in the impacted towns. In addition, SGPPL voluntarily provided bottled water to residents living in the towns, provided point-of-use treatment systems for more than 50 properties, and connected more than 450 properties to municipal water lines.

“Since first learning about the presence of PFOA in Merrimack, Saint-Gobain and NHDES have focused on finding solutions as quickly as possible. This collaboration has enabled us to accomplish a lot of work in a relatively short amount of time given the size and complexity of this issue,” said Tom Kinisky, CEO of Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics. “We’ve been a part of this community for many years and our top priority was always to take a leadership position in our response. With this Consent Decree now signed, we remain committed to working with community partners to finalize the work left to be done.”

In addition to the work that SGPPL and NHDES have already completed, the Consent Decree will provide for:

• Municipal water line connections to 121 properties in Bedford and point-of-entry treatment (POET) systems for four additional properties in Bedford where it is not feasible to extend municipal water lines.
• Municipal water line connections to 41 additional properties in Merrimack.
• Municipal water line extensions to 27 additional properties in Litchfield.
• Curb stops installed to 109 currently underdeveloped properties in Bedford, Litchfield, Manchester, and Merrimack so that municipal water may be provided to such properties in the future if those properties are developed.
• Site investigation activities including, but not limited to, groundwater, drinking water, surface water, soil and air testing.
• Source remediation if necessary.

Every effort will be made to connect properties with an existing waterline extension design before the end of 2018, weather, contracting availability and other similar factors permitting. Water line extensions to properties where design plans need to be completed will be done as soon as possible, but no later than November of 2019.

Pursuant to the Consent Decree, the State did not waive any private right of action by any individuals or parties.

A meeting will be held for all affected communities (Bedford, Litchfield and Merrimack) at Campbell High School at 1 Highlander Court, Litchfield, NH 03052, on Wednesday, March 21, at 6:30 pm to discuss the specifics of the agreement and the steps that will follow.

For Live video coverage of the meeting click on the following link:   http://trms.bedfordtv.com/CablecastPublicSite/watch/3?channel=1

or follow the instructions below.

Streaming Live Access Through the BCTV Webpage:

Go to the BCTV webpage: www.bedfordtv.com

On the home page under the Channel 16 icon click on “Watch Live”

For those cannot attend the meeting office hours with NHDES personnel to discuss the settlement will be held at the following times and locations:

Thursday 22 March:

8:00 am – 10:00 am                Bedford Town Office Building, 24 Amherst Road

10:30 am – 2:30 pm               Merrimack Town Hall, 6 Baboosic Lake Road

3:00 pm – 5:00 pm                 Bedford Town Office Building

These times are not for fixed presentations. Affected citizens are welcome to attend whatever times they can make and their questions will be answered in order.  Additional meetings will be scheduled as needed.

For additional information on this agreement, please contact:

 For New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services:

Jim Martin

603-271-3710

James.martin@des.nh.gov

www.des.nh.gov

For Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics:

Dina Silver Pokedoff

610-893-5518

dina.pokedoff@saint-gobain.com

www.saint-gobain-northamerica.com

 

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