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Selectmen authorize staff to seek abutter permission for groundwater monitoring wells near former fire station (3-1)
Summary
Following DES direction to delineate a groundwater management zone, the Board of Selectmen voted 3-1 to authorize staff to contact nearby property owners to request permission to install two monitoring wells to better define PFAS impacts; Chairman King opposed the motion.
The Farmington Board of Selectmen voted 3-1 Monday to allow staff to contact nearby property owners to request permission to install additional groundwater monitoring wells near the former fire station, a step DES recommended after earlier sampling showed PFAS exceedances on the site.
Planning and Community Development Director Kyle Pimental summarized the site history: baseline sampling and multiple rounds of groundwater monitoring in 2023–2025, supplemental monitoring well installations and soil testing, and ground-penetrating radar surveys. Pimental said DES has reclassified the location from a site-evaluation project to a hazardous waste site and instructed the town to install additional wells—ideally two behind the site—to delineate a groundwater management zone.
“We agreed as a group [with DES and consultants] that the least impactful solution would be to install two wells on Tax Map U06, Lot 17 or in close proximity to it,” Pimental said. He added that if property owners refuse permission DES may assume contamination is present and include those parcels in a groundwater management zone, a notation that would be recorded with the county registry of deeds.
Selectman John Scruton argued the request is a clear choice for property owners: allowing sampling gives a chance that results will be clean; refusing virtually ensures inclusion in the management zone. The motion (mover: Scruton; second: Titus) passed 3-1, with Chairman Charlie King recording the no vote.
Why it matters: The monitoring wells will supply data DES requires to define the groundwater management zone and set any necessary restrictions. Pimental and Sanderson said the town cannot compel private permission; if owners refuse the state can record properties in the management zone, which may carry limits on groundwater use but does not remove access to public water.
Next steps: Staff will seek permission from the identified abutters; if owners agree, the Planning Commission will amend its contract with the Nobis Group to install the wells and submit results to DES. If all owners refuse, SRPC may reallocate remaining Brownfields funds and DES will proceed with administrative steps.
