State environmental and health officials told Blades-area residents Thursday night they’ve shifted their focus to testing private wells after the town’s new filtration system significantly lowered contaminants in municipal wells.
Of the 44 private wells tested and the 24 samples returned so far, four homes have been given carbon filtration systems to clear up contaminants.
Three of them had levels of perflorinated compounds above the Environmental Protection Agency’s human health advisory of 70 parts per trillion.
Questions remain, including how one well can be affected while adjacent ones aren’t, and if contaminants can migrate from one well to another.
Blades-area resident Stephanie Angeles shares those concerns.
"There’s only three of us on the street.
Two are clear, I am not, and yet they are further south than I am," Angeles said.
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Shawn Garvin says there are many reasons why one well might be contaminated, while nearby ones are not.
The state will have a better idea of any possible trends once officials get more data back.
Garvin said more wells are scheduled to be tested.