December 1, 2017
Good morning,
Tremendous progress is being made on the construction of municipal water lines in Bennington and North Bennington. Construction started in October to extend water service to properties with on-site wells contaminated or threatened by PFOA in the area where the State of Vermont and Saint-Gobain have settled Saint-Gobain’s liability.

Construction will continue as long as the weather permits. Most homes and businesses covered under the settlement with Saint-Gobain will be connected to municipal water next construction season. Both projects are estimated to be completed by October 2018.


UPDATE ON WATERLINE CONSTRUCTION
Bennington Waterline Extension Update - This project consists of four construction contracts with an estimated project cost of $14.1 million. Work is underway on all four contracts and installation of the water mains is progressing smoothly. A partial winter shutdown is anticipated within the next month but will be weather dependent. Most individual water service connections will occur next Spring and Summer and the project is anticipated to be complete in October 2018.
 
North Bennington Waterline Extension Update - This project consists of a single construction contract with an estimated total project cost of $4.6 million. As of this week, approximately 40% of the water mains have been installed. A partial winter shutdown is anticipated within the next month but will be weather dependent. Individual water service connections will occur next Spring and Summer. The project is anticipated to be complete in October 2018.

If you want more detailed information on waterline construction progress, please check out the weekly updates on the Department of Environmental Conservation's PFOA Contamination Response Page .
UPDATE ON SPOILS MANAGEMENT
Currently, the contractors have sufficient local sites for the spoils (the soil, dirt, rubble resulting from excavation). For more information and to see the spoils location sites being used, please read the Spoils Management Plan .

One location not included in the Spoils Management Plan is the proposed VT 279 location next to Austin Hill Road. The VT 279 location is not needed for construction work for this year, and it is possible that it will not be needed at all. However, the Department of Environmental Conservation will go through an environmental assessment process to get a determination from the Federal Highway Administration and VTrans to use this location as a possible spoils site in the unlikely event it is needed next year.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
  • Visit the PFOA Contamination Response Page
  • Contact Elle O'Casey at elle.ocasey@vermont.gov to get in touch with the DEC staff or contractors working on this project.
You are receiving this e-mail because you have requested to be updated on Vermont's PFOA response efforts, or because your well was recently sampled. If you wish to stop receiving these updates, you may unsubscribe at any time using the link at the bottom of this e-mail. 
Department of Environmental Conservation
Vermont Agency of Natural Resources
1 National Life Drive, Main 2
Montpelier, VT 05620-3520