By Terry Date
WINDHAM — Testing has revealed contamination in a private well that provides drinking water to Heron Cove Road residents.
The contamination is likely related to blasting for the Interstate 93 Exit 3 interchange project, Pete Stamnas said. He is the state Department of Transportation's project manager for the I-93 widening project.
This is the second time fouled water has been discovered in a well near the Exit 3 construction, though the first time it was a monitoring well about a half-mile away from Heron Cove.
Selectmen Chairman Galen Stearns is more concerned about this latest discovery because of the contaminated drinking water.
He is also concerned that the contamination showed up long after blasting was stopped in the area.
"What concerns me is there hasn't been any blasting in that area in quite some time," Stearns said.
He wants more testing and for it to be done over a longer period of time to make sure groundwater is not contaminated.
Excessive levels of nitrates and nitrites were found in the private well water Tuesday, Stamnas said.
Four households receive their water from the well, Stamnas said.
The state is supplying the residents with bottled water, he said.
Heron Cove Road is on Cobbetts Pond, off Route 111 near the field office for Middlesex Corp., the general contractor for the first stage of the Exit 3 project.
The DOT has hired a contractor to install a treatment system to filter impurities from the well. No other contaminated wells were discovered in that area, Stamnas said.
Stamnas said he does not know for sure if blasting caused the contamination but it seems likely. The chemicals found are associated with blasting and there has been a lot of blasting in the Exit 3 project area.
"It's pretty hard to ignore (given) the activity in the area," he said.
The first time contaminated water was found in a well was May 19 when nitrate, nitrite and benzene levels exceeded groundwater standards in a monitoring well east of Wall Street and west of the Middlesex field office.
Blasting on the entire Exit 3 project was stopped June 3 after a second test confirmed the monitoring well was contaminated.
No private wells were fouled in that area, Stamnas said.
Blasting will not be allowed to resume for at least several weeks.
The DOT is installing additional monitoring wells in the area, he said.
The blasting subcontractor must submit a revised plan to prevent further contamination, Stamnas said.
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