AUGUSTA – The Legislature’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee advanced a bill Wednesday from Rep. Dan Ankeles, D-Brunswick, that would fund testing and cleanup of private drinking water wells throughout the state. The bipartisan 9-4 vote means the bill will advance to the full House and Senate in a strong position.
“Mainers are more dependent on well water than residents of any other state,” said Ankeles. “I’m grateful to committee Democrats and Rep. Woodsome for recognizing that we are not doing enough to fulfill Maine’s basic responsibility to ensure that everyone has access to clean drinking water. This fund is a key step in protecting and restoring public health and peace of mind in every corner of the state.”
LD 2115 would establish the Well Contamination Response Fund within the Department of Environmental Protection. It would provide funding for well testing, abatement, remediation, installation and maintenance of filtration systems, a provision of bottled water and facilitating connections to local water districts when possible for drinking water wells that have been contaminated by hazardous substances, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
The measure from Ankeles comes more than a year and a half after the worst spill of Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) in Maine history happened in the heart of Brunswick. On Aug. 19, 2024, Hangar 4, a Navy-owned property located on the former Brunswick Naval Air Station managed by the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, experienced a fault in its fire suppression system, triggering the release of 1,450 gallons of AFFF, mixed with 50,000 gallons of water.
Toxic foam entered the local stormwater and sewer system and flowed into the groundwater, multiple watersheds, Harpswell Cove and the Androscoggin River. The foam did not enter the public water system but did leave nearby residents concerned about PFAS contamination in their private wells.
Exposure to the PFAS chemicals contained in AFFF are associated with lower birth weights, reduced effectiveness of vaccines, bone irregularities, higher cholesterol and multiple types of cancer.
“Mainers shouldn’t be afraid that the well water they’re drinking could be poisoning them,” said Ankeles. “The AFFF spill in Brunswick revealed that well users have something new to be afraid of, and it is on us to help, regardless of who is ultimately responsible for making the mess. LD 2115 will enable the state to step in and protect well users from toxic chemicals that have entered the ground, regardless of how it happened.”
The bill faces votes in the House and Senate in the coming weeks.
Rep. Ankeles, a member of both the Transportation Committee and the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, is serving his second term in the Maine House and represents District 100, a central portion of Brunswick that includes the former Brunswick Naval Air Station.
Contact: Brian Lee (Ankeles) | 305-965-2744