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State Nears Agreement Over Bennington PFOA Contamination

The state is close to reaching an agreement with the company linked to widespread water contamination around Bennington.
The Department of Environmental Conservation said a deal with Saint-Gobain could come this spring.

Saint-Gobain owned the former Chemfab plant in North Bennington suspected of polluting more than 300 wells with the chemical PFOA, which is linked to a number adverse health effects.

State officials have called a meeting for Jan. 28 in Bennington to discuss the pending deal with Saint-Gobain.

The company has already agreed to pay for a $22 million waterline extension into the west side of Bennington. The contamination in the east side of town, and need for a new waterline there, has been under dispute.

The state did not release details on the pending agreement.

In a press release sent out Friday, the Agency of Natural Resources says more details will be provided after progress is made on design work, including cost estimates, on a new water line extension.

ANR said it hopes to finish negotiations early in the year and begin construction in the spring.

The state said it might not be possible for a new line to reach  remote homes that were contaminated with the chemical.

 

Howard Weiss-Tisman is Vermont Public’s southern Vermont reporter, but sometimes the story takes him to other parts of the state.
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