NEW MILFORD — Recent litigation claiming Aquarion and Connecticut Water Co. knowingly supplied consumers with water contaminated with PFAS chemicals, has sparked concerns about what is in New Milford's water.
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“I think it’s important that should we get information about concerns, health concerns, that there is a way for us to disseminate it,” council member Alexandra Thomas said at the Oct. 23 council meeting. “I think that it is important that people know what’s going on, that they know we have a concern.”
Two class action lawsuits filed in Hartford and Bridgeport Superior Courts last month claim Aquarion and Connecticut Water, the state’s largest water companies, have known for years that the water they supplied to consumers was contaminated with chemicals harmful to human health and render the water unsafe and/or non-potable.
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The suits also state that Aquarion, which serves New Milford, and Connecticut Water also knew, or reasonably should have known, about the technologies available to remove the chemicals from water supplies.
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After the lawsuits were filed, Aquarion spokesperson Peter Fazekas said the company "takes the quality of its water very seriously to ensure that it meets or exceeds all state and federal water quality standards."
Per- and polyfluoroalkylalkylated substances, commonly called PFAS, are artificial chemicals that have been used in manufacturing plastics, metal coatings, clothing, furniture, adhesives and other products.
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Amy Bethge, director of Housatonic Valley Health District, said the main health concerns from ingesting PFAS compounds come from studies in laboratory animals which “consistently show effects on the liver and immune system and growth, reproduction and fetal development.” She said the compounds can also affect the endocrine and hormonal systems.
However, Bethge said nearly everyone has low levels of PFAS in their blood.
“If consumers’ drinking water has PFAS at levels greater than the Connecticut drinking water action levels and you have been drinking the water or using it for cooking for many years, you may have an increased chance of experiencing health problems,” she said. “However, it’s important to understand that consuming water with PFAS levels greater than the action levels does not mean that health effects will occur.”
Bethge said consumers can limit their overall exposure to PFAS by becoming knowledgeable about potential sources of PFAS exposure, such as drinking PFAS-contaminated water, eating food packaged in PFAS-containing materials and using consumer products like non-stick cookware, stain-resistant carpeting and water-repellant clothing.
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Bethge said the state Department of Health has new staff in its Environmental Health and Drinking Water branch that focus on PFAS and are requiring all public drinking water sources to test for PFAS.
Public awareness
Council member Hilary Ram asked Bethge when she was made aware that New Milford had PFAS “at any level in the water.” Bethge replied that Aquarion sent reports to HVHD in June and the information is available on the HVHD website.
Several council members said the town should make the public aware of the PFAS levels in their water while others felt Aquarion was keeping consumers updated.
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“I have a concern that we wait… for the government wheels to make a decision while we know some things that are a concern like driving too fast on Route 7,” Thomas said. “If we wait, how many people are going to suffer, and I’m concerned that as a community, we are holding onto information and not putting it out there, not being transparent to tell people that there may be something… The good, the bad and the ugly.”
To Mayor Pete Bass, Thomas said, “Mr. Mayor, you’re very good at sharing the good, but we need sometimes to hear the bad and the ugly in order to protect our citizens.”
Katy Francis, vice chair of the council, said Aquarion has been and will continue to stay in touch with its users about potential concerns.
“I think that we aren’t really the body that should be making statements about what types of terrible things can happen to people,” she said.
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Bass said George Logan, a public relations representative from Aquarion, was invited to the council’s Oct. 23 meeting but could not attend. Bass said Aquarion will be at the next Town Council meeting on Nov. 13.
Bass also cautioned the council that “if there is a false narrative, a half-false narrative, that’s presented” about Aquarion and if a government official misrepresents anything, there is no immunity for the town.
“Just so everyone is aware that if we’re going to talk about issues, we need to make sure they’re fully the truth,” Bass said.
Aquarion, which is overseen by the state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority and the state Department of Health, supplies water for more than 750,000 people in 72 cities and towns in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, according to the Aquarion website.
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Aquarion is working to build two new pump stations at 103 Prospect Hill Road (Route 67) and 39 Dorwin Hill Road in New Milford to ensure continued system reliability and water quality. Construction started Oct. 23 and the projects are expected to be fully operational by next fall.
Nov 5, 2023
By Kaitlin Lyle
Kaitlin Lyle is thrilled to nurture her journalism career as a weeklies reporter with Hearst and looks forward to becoming better acquainted with the communities in her coverage area. While she enjoys the opportunity to cover breaking news, her beat is generally focused on local profiles and school-centered stories. Outside of her reporting work, she is an avid reader, baker and cyclist.
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