MERRIMAC – The U.S. Army maintains it is not responsible for implementing a public drinking water system in Merrimac. The Army previously stated, after a review of the proposed construction and operation of a drinking water system near the Badger Army Ammunition Plant, Army representatives “acted prematurely and beyond their area of authority. As a result, providing a drinking water system would be inconsistent with our authority under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program.” Although the Badger Army Ammunition Plant is no longer operating, the chemicals previously used there have entered the water used by Merrimac residents and those in the surrounding area. Six homes had wells replaced in the Water’s Edge development due to the presence of the highly flammable accelerant dinitrotoluene. Army Environmental PA Specialist Cathy Kropp, in an email to The Eagle, said the Army is in the process of conducting a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) Human Health Risk Assessment, which evaluates exposure to groundwater contamination associated with the former Badger Army Ammunition Plant, and those results will determine the Army’s path forward. “The Army remains committed to its obligations under the law regarding safe drinking water and the health of the community of Merrimac … The Army has implemented numerous remedial actions throughout the areas impacted by operations at the former plant, and as a result, the Army, in concurrence with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources shut down the last active remediation system in 2014. In addition, the Army…