The state has discovered a new concentration of PFOA in North Pownal.
Trish Coppolino works for the Department of Environmental Conservation and at a public meeting in Pownal Monday she said a monitoring well near the former Pownal Tannery showed levels of PFOA above 200 parts per trillion.
Vermont's safe drinking water advisory level is 20 parts per trillion
"We weren't expecting to see anything at the Pownal Tannery," Coppolino said. "We were just being cautious in what we were doing out there to cover our bases, and then we found that one high concentration. It seems like an anomaly, but we are looking at the homes that are within that area, and looking to put in additional monitoring wells so we can say what the extent of that contamination is and hopefully define where it's coming from."
PFOA is a suspected carcinogen which might also lead to birth defects and thyroid damage.
The original contamination in Pownal was found farther south in a municipal water system that serves about 450 homes.
