State officials are taking the first steps to purchase PFAS contaminated property — a concept that has been discussed for years as the scale of contamination has been discovered.
For the first time, the PFAS Fund is considering inquiries to purchase four contaminated properties around the state.
The idea is still in fairly early stages, said executive director Beth Valentine, as the fund works to get the properties appraised. The state purchase of land has been brought up as a possible solution for residents whose land was contaminated by state-licenses sludge spreading, especially farms, where the contamination can be an expensive barrier for business.
An advisory panel will assess the properties, looking at factors like the extent of contamination and magnitude of financial loss. They will also look at potential future uses for the land, ideally returning them to agricultural production, but also considering research purposes, or conservation and recreation.
It's just one of the fund's programs to support farmers affected by PFAS contamination. The fund also offers to replace the income of impacted farmers and has awarded more than $2 million since March.
