Citizen Portal
Sign In

Resident raises PFAS concerns about Manchester water; town points to testing plan and EPA timeline

Town of Manchester Board of Directors · March 3, 2026

Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts

Subscribe
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

A Manchester resident told the board she paid for private tests showing high hardness and elevated total dissolved solids and expressed concern about PFAS contamination in wells near Faulkner Drive and Lovelane; the town manager said staff will address the issue at a March 19 water department budget workshop and cited an EPA rule timeline extending to 2028.

Resident Jennifer Lombardi told the board she had private testing done after noticing taste and odor issues and said results showed her water's total dissolved solids (TDS) were over 500 and that, in her view, portions of town appear to be a PFAS contamination area.

"Our water tested at 17 times the normal limit for hard water, and the content of the total dissolvable solids, TDS, was over 500," Lombardi said, adding she has been drinking bottled spring water for safety concerns.

She said she spoke with Brenda Williams in the water department and that the department report indicates New State Road and Love Lane wells show higher contamination levels than other parts of town. Lombardi asked why residents in affected neighborhoods had not received direct notification and urged the town to provide information about filtration and next steps.

Town Manager Stefano responded that the town is taking the matter seriously, invited Lombardi to a March 19 water department budget workshop to discuss planned actions, and explained that the EPA rule finalized a timeline that gives municipalities until 2028 before mandatory issuance of violation notices. "We do publish in the report, but I can assure you that we're as concerned as you are, and we wanna address it," the manager said.

Staff indicated ongoing monthly and annual testing and said the town will present more detail in the March 19 workshop. The board did not take formal action during the meeting; staff noted next steps and public outreach opportunities.