Kittery’s discovery: PFAS leaking from the dump to the ground water?

It is my opinion that the Town of Kittery still has a lot of explaining to do.

The need of Government to be truthful should overshadow the need to contain the damage.

All Citizens need their Town and Federal Government to be honest. Thank you to IAN LENEHAN of the Portsmouth Herald for staying on top of this health crisis.

The IAN from the Portsmouth Herald has just done another article on the PFAS’s in the well water around the Kittery Dump. In case you missed it, below is OURKITTERY’S post and the current article in the Portsmouth Herald. YOU NEED TO READ IT.

https://www.seacoastonline.com/story/news/local/2022/01/13/kittery-maine-residents-near-dump-solutions-possible-pfas-water/9174942002/

As you read it keep in mind as a result of the PFAS’s in the ground water, that families drink this water, their pets drink it, wildlife drink it, the wildlife eat food that grows as a result of the water, the animals move around and of course ground water travels long distances.

The Big Question. Were there ever any tests done that were done incorrectly? and if so WHEN and what company! Has anybody notified the previous homes owners of the affected area.? Another question that should be asked, Should Kittery begin planning for the unexpected long term health ramifications in the future? The damage it can cause could be huge. We are talking about the potential health issues and how it people could be adversely affected by PFAS years to come.

Perhaps a diverse committee to examine all the aspects, the evidence and get experts who know this stuff to help Kittery with a robust plan for the affected citizens and develop a plan to clean up the area or craft a mitigating plan to stop the seepage. This process needs to be transparent and not held in executive session.

Kittery’s Web Site. (Free to read)

https://www.kitteryme.gov/resource-recovery-facility-transfer-station/pages/pfas-sampling-associated-closed-municipal-landfill

PFAS in residential well water.

Webinar on ASDWA's New PFAS - Source Water Protection Guide and Toolkit -  ASDWA

https://www.seacoastonline.com/story/news/local/2021/12/13/pfas-found-kittery-maine-dump-nearby-home-wells-tested/6488248001/

  1. How long has this been going on?
  2. Who knew?
  3. How long did they know?
  4. What is the mitigating plan?
  5. Has the recent interest expired?
  6. Since it may not affect someone, has the interest faded?
  7. What if it did affect you or your family, how would you feel then?
  8. What health risks are associated with PFAS’s, what health concerns can we expect?
  9. How many families are potentially affected?
  10. How is the wildlife affected by it and the deer meat hunters feed on?
  11. Has anyone walked out behind the dump through the green ooze in the water seeping from the hill?
  12. What is really buried at the landfill that history has shown us is dangerous now but not known then? https://bangordailynews.com/2021/11/23/outdoors/hunters-warned-to-throw-away-meat-after-detection-of-forever-chemicals-in-fairfield-deer/embed/#?secret=qmtOR6k7OU

Should we be warning Hunters in Kittery the meat may be contaminated.?

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/can-epa-get-rid-toxic-forever-chemicals-n1281707

THE FOREVER CHEMICAL.

What does PFAS do to your body? A growing body of science has found that there are potential adverse health impacts associated with PFAS exposure, including liver damage, thyroid disease, decreased fertility, high cholesterol, obesity, hormone suppression and cancer. These chemicals can easily migrate into the air, dust, food, soil and water.

The questions should be expanded since the disclosure by the Town of Kittery.

  1. Who will be held responsible if there are health effects of the potentially affected Kittery’s residents.
  2. When does the health effects or contamination begin to show?
  3. Should the residents be tested at the Town’s expenses as they did at Pease ? https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/activities/pease/community-fact-sheet.html
  4. The Town Dump has been there for over 5 decades. We just now heard about this! Did this come to light after a Town Employee raised an unrelated alarm to the DEP? Very coincidental either way? I am sure it is unrelated but the fact is, PFAS’S are known as the forever chemical and according to the Portsmouth Heralds article, its been found in the well water of adjacent properties of the Kittery Town Dump;
  5. Do you know the history of what was dumped there over the years?
  6. How far does ground water travel? i.e. Does well water end up in their septic tanks and then is pumped out dropped off at the Sewer treatment plant, processed and dumped into the river?

KITTERY needs to be pro-active and needs to be moving on this, at the very least by providing water lines for the residents at Kittery’s expense.