MONTPELIER―Gov. Peter Shumlin announced on April 22 new results from five water samples collected near the Vermont Fire Academy on Academy Road, near the Vermont Police Academy. The results were received as part of the first batch of testing in the State’s effort to proactively investigate 11 additional sites statewide where perfluorocarbons may have been used.
The fire academy was selected for testing by the state because of its repeated use of firefighting foams that may have contained perfluorocarbons like PFOA and PFOS in training exercises. Five water samples were collected from locations near or on fire academy property, including four residential wells and one town water distribution pipeline at the academy. All five samples showed no detections for perfluorinated compounds (PFCs).
The Town of Pittsford’s municipal water supply also tested clean for PFCs when the town independently sampled its supply system several weeks ago.
These results followed tests the previous week around the Phoenix Wire Facility in South Hero, including the municipal supply system servicing more than 750 people. Seven drinking water samples and one surface water sample were collected in South Hero, and none of the results detected perflourinated compounds (PFCs), including PFOA.
