BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP) - The state of Vermont reached a tentative agreement with a plastics company to address chemical contamination in more than 150 private wells on the east side of Bennington, the state announced Tuesday.
The Agency of Natural Resources said an agreement in principal with Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics will expand municipal water service to most of the affected homes there.
The Bennington Banner reported that if the deal is finalized, Saint-Gobain would provide roughly $26 million for water line extensions and for new wells, or long-term filtering for wells where water lines aren’t feasible. The tentative plan includes up to $4.7 million in state funding from a revolving loan fund.
A final settlement is dependent on ongoing engineering design work.
“This is a good day for Vermont and part of our larger effort to ensure safe drinking water for all Vermonters,” Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said in a Tuesday statement.
Saint-Gobain is considered by the state to be responsible for widespread water contamination with the chemical known as PFOA, a suspected carcinogen, around two former ChemFab Corp. factories in Bennington. The company previously agreed to provide $20 million for water line work for about 200 properties on the west side of Bennington. That work began in the fall of 2017 and is essentially complete.
The engineering and design for the new project is expected to be finalized next month.
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Information from: Bennington Banner, http://www.benningtonbanner.com
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