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Poland Spring monitoring well No. 3 triggers town alert level; Select Board requests remedial plan and posts results
Summary
Town staff reported monitoring well No. 3 at Poland Spring triggered the agreed alert-level threshold on the latest test; the board directed staff to post the results publicly and to send Poland Spring a reminder that a remedial plan is expected if a second consecutive alert-level result occurs.
Town staff told the Select Board that the latest groundwater sample from Poland Spring’s monitoring well No. 3 triggered the town’s alert level. The board said the results should be made public (posted to the town website document repository) and that Poland Spring should be reminded in writing of the town’s alert‑level process.
Officials reviewed the town’s agreed procedure: two consecutive results at or beyond the alert level prompt Poland Spring to present a remedial plan describing how they will address the condition before the next sampling event. Staff said the sampling trend has been downward over recent months and that weather (recent rain and snowmelt) may affect results.
Select Board members asked that the town send a formal letter—previously agreed but delayed by staff vacations—reiterating the two-sample alert threshold and requesting next-step remediation if the second consecutive sample also triggers the alert. The board noted that action-level measurements (a higher threshold) could require Poland Spring to reduce pumping or cease operations, whereas the alert level is an early-warning step prompting closer review.
The board said it expects staff to post the monitoring results on the town website and to follow up promptly with Poland Spring if the next sample meets the alert criteria.
