DES and DHHS update commission on sampling, POET installs and waterline projects; Merrimack Village District outlines $7M extension plan
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Summary
DES told commissioners that Saint‑Gobain has sampled ~1,560 eligible wells under an approved monitoring plan and that ~828 POET systems have been installed (about 790 completed testing); DHHS reported bottled‑water registrant testing found no MCL exceedances among registrants. Merrimack Village District reported two water‑main extension projects estimated at ~$7 million with partial grant and expected settlement funds.
State agency officials and a municipal water district officer updated the commission on remediation, monitoring and local water‑infrastructure efforts during the Feb. 13 meeting.
Mike, speaking for the Department of Environmental Services, said Saint‑Gobain is expected to submit a demolition and decommissioning report in the coming weeks and that the company has sampled roughly 1,560 eligible wells or properties under an approved groundwater‑management monitoring work plan. Mike said DES requested expanded groundwater monitoring this calendar year to assess effects following demolition and nearby redevelopment and has offered bottled water and permanent remedies to about 170 additional properties that exceeded the state ambient groundwater standard for PFOA.
"As of February 4, there have been 828 POET systems installed, and about 790 of those have completed their testing regimen to be considered complete officially," Mike told the commission, describing point‑of‑entry installations and compliance tracking.
Commissioners asked for links to the groundwater summary report and monitoring‑well data; Mike said DES would check with staff and add links to meeting notes so local engineers and officials can access the underlying data.
Colleen, on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services, said New Hampshire’s rural health transformation grant cannot be used for PFAS remediation. She also described DHHS’s bottled‑water registrant program: 169 facilities are registered and annual testing results submitted by registrants showed no exceedances of current MCLs; only three registrants had any detectable PFAS, and detections were below state and EPA MCLs.
Don, chair of the Merrimack Village District water department, reported the district completed some waterline installations outside the Saint‑Gobain consent boundary and approved two warrant articles to extend mains into additional private‑well areas. Don estimated the combined project cost at about $7,000,000, with just over $2.5 million expected to be covered by grants or forgiven loans and the remainder by the district. He said the district expects to apply roughly $4.5 million in settlement proceeds from multi‑district litigation (3M) to refinance an existing loan and that the voter approval for the projects requires a three‑fifths majority at the district annual meeting.
Don explained implementation logistics: curb stops will typically be provided at the road edge for each property; homeowners pay to connect from the curb stop to the house but may be eligible for up to a $10,000 service‑connection rebate that can be offset by prior POET system rebates.
The commission recorded the business vote to accept minutes, scheduled the next meeting for March 13 at 2 p.m., and adjourned.
