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Maine DEP to test Brunswick homeowners’ water for PFAS after foam spill

Picnic Pond in Brunswick was left covered in firefighting foam containing harmful PFAS chemicals after a fire suppression system accidentally discharged at the nearby former Brunswick Naval Air Base.
Steve Walker
/
Maine Public
Picnic Pond in Brunswick was left covered in firefighting foam containing harmful PFAS chemicals after a fire suppression system accidentally discharged at the nearby former Brunswick Naval Air Base.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection says it will send representatives out to go door-to-door this week to speak with Brunswick homeowners that may have been affected by the spill of firefighting foam three weeks ago at the Brunswick Executive Airport.

The DEP has identified about 45 residential properties that staffers will visit this week to speak with homeowners about tests of their drinking water.

The state reports that three sets of surface water samples above Harpswell Cove taken the day of the spill, three days later, and one week later show PFAS concentrations are decreasing at sites closest to the spill location.

But PFAS concentrations at the Picnic Pond outlet and in salt marshes above Harpswell Cove have increased, as foam removal efforts, natural flow and tidal cycling have drawn foam to these areas.

Sample results from Harpswell Cove are expected this week.

The state says the public drinking water supply for Brunswick Landing from the Brunswick-Topsham Water District was not affected by the spill and has been confirmed safe to consume.

Last week, the Brunswick City Council issued a non-binding resolution that calls for the Mid Coast Regional Redevelopment Authority, which oversees the development, to investigate how the accident occurred, to create a plan to alert residents if another spill occurs, and to remove any remaining foam from the premises.