The State Bond Commission voted on October 22 to approve $3 million in general obligation bonds to be used by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) for well water testing related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) contamination.
According to notes the Office of Fiscal Analysis (OFA) made on the bond commission’s agenda, the funding will be used to “continue collection and testing of water samples from private wells for PFAS in prioritized communities using contractor and commercial laboratory support.” It will be also be used to provide short-term treatment in communities where well water is found to be contaminated with PFAS, including bottle water and filtration.
Funding will be prioritized in “socially vulnerable, distressed, and environmental justice communities” that have a high likelihood of having groundwater contaminated by PFAS.
Funds will also be used for continuing the Aqueous Film-Forming Foam Take-Back Program, conducting statewide testing to assess existing levels of PFAS in soil and water, investigating and remediating PFAS on municipal properties, and supporting a PFAS data management system for sampling data.
Before the commission voted to approve the funds, Rep. Holly Cheeseman, R-East Lyme, questioned whether grant funds would be made available to private homeowners whose groundwater wells might have been contaminated by PFAS as a result of solar panels they have had installed.
Cheeseman stated that she believed solar panels and their components manufactured in the last five years contain PFAS, particularly in the “aqueous film used to provide anti-reflective qualities.” Cheeseman expressed concern that this could leach into groundwater if the panels are damaged, referencing recent hurricanes in Florida that have damaged solar fields, and asking about whether future funds might be allocated to address this issue.
Graham Stevens, the director of land management and constituent affairs at DEEP, stated that PFAS contamination in the state is related to the deployment of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), which is used in firefighting foam. AFFF is one of the leading sources of PFAS contamination. Stevens said that DEEP has not seen contamination from sources other than AFFF.
He added that the state is currently focused on dealing with risk reduction of contamination in drinking water wells, as part of the state’s 2019 action plan to combat PFAS contamination, and that DEEP is working with the legislature to take risky compounds out of the marketplace.
He further noted that DEEP is partnering with the Department of Economic Community Development (DECD) to conduct tests on soil and determine underlying PFAS levels in order to determine what to expect in homes and businesses across the state.
Stevens said that science is “still working to catch up on” how PFAS might be present in solar panels and might pose a risk to drinking water. The state is focused on the threat to drinking water, according to Stevens, because 23 percent of Connecticut residents rely on well water for drinking water.
DEEP is working to identify risks for those who rely on wells and “looking first in disadvantaged communities where firefighting foam was deployed on a regular basis” Stevens stated.
Before voting to approve the grant funds, Cheeseman said she hopes the state has an “open mind” on helping farmers and homeowners who have been encouraged to install solar panels. She further stated that many rural communities are reliant on wells and hopes these, not just environmental justice communities, are considered.
According to OFA’s notes on the commission meeting, DEEP recently concluded a preliminary study identifying areas in socially vulnerable and environmental justice communities that have a high likelihood of PFAS contamination in well water. Inside Investigator reached out to DEEP to obtain a copy of the report but did not receive one prior to publication.
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