After Bennington findings, DEC offers guidance for private well testing and treatment
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Summary
DEC staff described randomized and targeted well testing after elevated PFAS in Bennington, explained when the state will assist sampling, and said private testing typically costs $300–$500; carbon filtration can treat drinking water though household systems are costly.
A Department of Environmental Conservation official urged residents concerned about local PFAS exposures to test their private wells and described how the agency supports sampling and interpretation.
Matt of DEC said randomized statewide testing and targeted follow-ups revealed clusters of elevated readings in Bennington that prompted expanded sampling. "We could certainly help you... We can tell you where to do sampling and how to do the sampling," he said, while noting the state generally does not pay for private well tests unless a contaminant source is suspected.
DEC summarized private-well sampling results from a statewide randomized program: about 2% of private wells in the sampled set exceeded a prior 20 parts-per-trillion standard, roughly 4% exceed the current standard cited by the presenter, and about 23% had detectable PFAS. He stressed that even low-level detections are undesirable and that standard laboratory panels can return up to 40 PFAS compounds, though only a small subset have regulatory numeric standards in Vermont.
On mitigation, Matt said installing a carbon treatment system can address PFAS in drinking water but cautioned that household treatment is a long-term and not inexpensive option. He estimated a typical PFAS lab test for a private well is in the $300–$500 range and advised careful sample-collection protocols to avoid contamination from clothing, tubing or containers.
DEC offered to provide committee members with links to sampling resources and promised technical assistance for communities that want help designing sampling plans or interpreting results. The committee did not vote or direct further action during the session.
