Welcome to Our August Newsletter

August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd, uneven time. -Sylvia Plath

In this Edition Changes in Addressing the PFAS Threat Visit Maine's Lakes, Unless You're Milfoil Where Does Rainwater Go? Industry News

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Changes in Addressing the PFAS Threat

There is growing concern regarding PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in drinking water supplies and Governor Mills (D, ME) is acting on it. Since the spring, Governor Mills has signed at least four new bills making stricter PFAS pollution standards and regulations as well as lowering the limit of acceptable contamination from 70 parts per trillion for two compounds, down to 20 parts per trillion for six compounds (LD 129). Gov. Mills' budget under this new legislation also provides more than $20 million for the agencies responding to the problem. LD 129 additionally requires public institutions to conduct ongoing testing of their water supplies and to remediate them if the results are above the safe limit.   Other bills that Governor Mills has signed will ban aerial application of PFAS chemicals and extend the statute of limitations for lawsuits involving PFAS pollution. Some of the biggest bills still awaiting a signature are LD 1600 and LD 1503. These bills would require the state to systematically test for PFAS pollution in all sites where municipal and industrial wastewater sludge has historically been applied. Manufacturers would be expected to report when chemicals are used and then phase the chemicals out completely by 2030 unless it can be demonstrated that there are no other alternatives.   Due to the history of these chemicals in agricultural fields and dairy farms, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has been regularly testing local wells for possible contaminations. Unfortunately, this is no small task; these chemicals are used to create nonstick surfaces on cookware, carpets, popcorn bags, pizza boxes, firefighting foam, and cosmetics. The chemicals are also mixed with sludge which farmers, builders, and homeowners use to spread on their agricultural fields and building lots. Potentially, this could be affecting a lot of families. The problem is: we simply do not know how big the problem is. What we do know is that these chemicals are in the soil and ground water and are building up over time, never going away.   If you or someone you know may be affected and would like to have the water tested, please give us a call here at the laboratory or visit our website to order a test and get more information.  A&L Laboratory- PFAS Granite State Analytical- PFAS 

Visit Maine's Lakes, Unless You're Milfoil

Maine is home to over 6,000 beautiful lakes and ponds. Visitors and residents flock to the water to boat, fish, swim, and/or to relax and enjoy the view. But our waters are being threatened by a new kind of hitchhiker, Eurasian milfoil. Scientifically known as Myriophyllum spicatum L., Eurasian milfoil began turning up in Maine’s waters in 2003, along with other invasions around New England. This is bad news for Maine’s waterways.  Eurasian milfoil is an aggressively growing aquatic plant, not native to our state. It is a very adaptive plant and can winter over in frozen lakes, thrive in warm pond waters, and live in acidic and calcium rich waters. Milfoil can thrive in both slow moving waters of lakes and ponds and in some quickly moving rivers. The plant can be found in a variety of sediments, light levels, temperatures, and depths up to 20 feet. Invasive milfoil can grow up to ten feet in length, forming dense mats that crowd out other varieties of aquatic vegetation. The growth of these plants can diminish the habitats of native fish and wildlife and impact recreational use of the water.  While water protection groups are working frantically to eradicate the invasion, you can help to protect our waters from the spread. When you are boating or fishing, inspect your gear before and after water use. Plants caught up in props, fishing wells, anchors, etc. can be transferred to other bodies of water. Remove all plant matter and dispose of it away from the water source where it can dry out and no longer be a threat.  Let’s keep our lakes and ponds free from this aggressive species.

Where Does Rainwater Go?

After a very rainy period in New England, we are all left hoping for some bright sunshine, but how often do we stop and think about where all that rain water is going? According to the NHDES, 90% of the water pollution problems in New Hampshire are caused by stormwater runoff from roads, buildings and parking lots. These are called impervious surfaces, which change the way water flows naturally and keeps it from soaking into the ground where it can be filtered naturally by the soil and recharge the groundwater supply. As the rain water moves along, it picks up contaminants from pet waste, oil from motor vehicle leaks, fertilizers and other chemicals used outdoors. Stormwater runoff and the pollution it carries can make water conditions unsafe for swimming and for the aquatic life, as well as cause flooding and erosion. What can we do as home and business owners to manage stormwater runoff? NHDES and Manchester Water Works are two of many programs created to help inform the public on the issue. NHDES’s program SOAK up the rain NH teaches us how to recognize problem areas around our properties and how to correct them. These projects can range from a simple barrel used to collect rain water from the roof which can then be used to nourish the lawn and garden during dry weather, or a rain garden that sits low in a landscape and captures stormwater. Projects can be more complex, such as creating trenches and infiltration steps made of stone or wood which slow down runoff by creating slopes. Slowing the runoff can help prevent flooding and erosion in areas near rivers, lakes and ponds. Manchester Water Works has a Stormwater Management Program (SWMP) to teach residents about runoff and how they can participate in cleaning and preventing pollution. For example, they estimate that if each of the 100,000 residents take steps to keep one pint of used oil off the ground from either engine leaks or oil changes, then they could keep 12,500 gallons of used oil out of the Merrimack River watershed. This amount of oil is enough to pollute 10 billion gallons of water! Oil contamination can create a thick sludge on top of the water which makes it hard for plants to photosynthesize and can also kill marine life. Manchester Water Works also hosts two pond clean ups each year where residents can volunteer to help remove litter and debris from ponds and surrounding areas throughout the city. This project is called the Manchester Urban Ponds Restoration Program. If we all chip in to help stormwater find its way into the ground and be a little more conscientious of the chemicals we are using and how they are disposed, we can help decrease the amount of pollution that ends up in bodies of water across the state. After all, it is much easier to prevent contamination than it is to clean it up after the damage is done.                  For information on stormwater management for your home you can visit: Stormwater Guide For information on Manchester Water Work’s Stormwater Program you can visit: SWMP

NEWS THROUGHOUT OUR INDUSTRY

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