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Shaheen, Hassan, Pappas Urge EPA to Continue Actions to Address PFAS Contamination in Londonderry, Ensure Safe Drinking Water for Community

Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), alongside U.S. Representative Chris Pappas (NH-01), are calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to continue its efforts to remediate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination at the Tinkham Garage Superfund Site in Londonderry and to ensure 89 residents have access to safe drinking water. The letter to Region 1 Administrator Mark Sanborn comes after the EPA announced a proposal earlier this month to address contaminates at the Superfund Site.

The lawmakers wrote, in part: “As members of the New Hampshire Congressional Delegation, we write to request the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) take full action at the Tinkham Garage Superfund Site in Londonderry (Docket: EPA-R01-SFUND-2025-0117). We are deeply concerned about the PFAS exposure of Londonderry residents, and we urge the EPA to ensure that residents will be able to access a safe supply of drinking water by connecting households to the municipal water system.”

They continued: “As you know, EPA began investigating contamination from the Tinkham Garage Site in 1981 after initial investigations by the Town of Londonderry and New Hampshire state agencies. These investigations revealed that the improper waste disposal associated with the Cannon Engineering Corporation Bridgewater Site led to the contamination of the nearby groundwater as well as soil and surface water with several hazardous substances. More recent EPA sampling led to the detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in 2018 in the groundwater and residential water supply. Contaminants like PFAS have been linked to a number of health issues including some cancers and pose a long-term threat to the health and well-being of residents. Currently, 65 households with high levels of contaminants in their water supply have been offered bottled water as a temporary mitigation measure.”

They concluded: “While remediation of these contaminants continues, residents must have safe and reliable access to drinking water. We urge the EPA to remediate the contamination by extending an existing municipal water line running within the Site into the target neighborhood. This action would prevent exposure of residents to site contaminants from drinking water. We also urge the EPA to continue working with the local community to protect residents from contaminated water.”

The full letter can be read HERE.

Senator Shaheen leads efforts in Congress to uncover the potential health effects related to PFAS contamination, respond to the chemical exposure and remediate polluted sites. As a lead negotiator of water provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Senator Shaheen worked to secure $10 billion to specifically address PFAS and other emerging contaminants, $5 billion of which is targeted to small and disadvantaged communities. To date, New Hampshire has received more than $325 million in water infrastructure funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including $66 million to address PFAS. In the Fiscal Year 2024 government funding legislation, Senator Shaheen successfully secured language ensuring funding for small and disadvantaged communities from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law could be used to address private well contamination. Shaheen has introduced legislation that would be a permanent fix.

Senator Hassan, a negotiator of the bipartisan infrastructure law, worked to secure a provision in the legislation to better ensure that New Hampshire towns would be eligible for an advanced technology grant program that could be used to remove PFAS from drinking water. Senator Hassan also led efforts to pass into law bipartisan legislation that directs federal agencies to develop best practices, training, and educational programs to reduce, limit, and prevent exposure to PFAS in fire fighting equipment. Additionally, Senator Hassan has introduced legislation to ban PFAS chemicals in food containers and joined in introducing a bill banning the inclusion of PFAS chemicals in cosmetics products, such as makeup, moisturizer, and perfume.

Pappas has been a leader in addressing PFAS and advocating for improved standards, increased investment, and a stronger national focus on PFAS contamination. As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Pappas fought for funding in the bipartisan infrastructure law to help communities address PFAS contamination. Pappas leads the Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act, the PFAS Research and Development Reauthorization Act, the PFAS Registry Act, and the No Taxation on PFAS Remediation Act.

 

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