Woodstock’s latest water-test results show a spike in the forever chemicals PFOS in the town’s water supply, the latest development in the roller-coaster-like saga.
The town government is trying to identify the source of the problem and develop a solution.
Well 2 in Pumphouse 1, which services two wells, shows 3.67 parts per trillion, up from previous results of 2.21. Well 2 is the newest of a total of seven wells.
For the first time, PFOA has shown up in Well 2, at 2.06 ppt.
Well 1, in the same well field where previously no PFOS had been detected, had 3.39 ppt.
There were no detectable PFOS in the other well field.
“It is frustrating. It’s up, it’s down, it’s left, it’s right,” town supervisor Bill McKenna said. He noted that the results, while troubling, were still below the federal guideline of ten ppt.
The results were forwarded to the county. The town is awaiting recommendations.
“My sense is they’ll ask for another round of tests so that we have four quarters of testing. That was the indication I got from the conversation, but once they’ve had a chance to digest it we’ll know,” McKenna said.
The town’s engineer, Dennis Larios, is investigating ways to filter the forever chemicals, which are in everything from household cleaners to clothing to non-stick cookware.
“He’s trying to come up with the most feasible filter plan that we could initiate next year or ten years from now,” reported McKenna. “At some point, we’re going to need to filter this, because the reality is this stuff is all over the place.”
The county still thinks that the septic systems in the Bearsville Flats are the most likely source.
The citizen activist group Woodstockers United for Change wants greater transparency. “… Rather than communicate this information directly and openly to the public, the town’s social media post merely directed people to the town website to search for the results,” the group complained in a Facebook statement.
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