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State Official Plans Action On Coakley Landfill

Via USGS.gov

New Hampshire officials say they will address a landfill that is leaching potentially cancer-causing chemicals into groundwater sources.

The Portsmouth Herald reports Michael Wimsatt, director of the state Department of Environmental Services' Waste Management Division, believes the migration of contaminants from the Coakley Landfill is unacceptable. Wimsatt says removal of contaminants or containment on the site is necessary after receiving a letter from concerned state lawmakers.

State lawmakers say high levels of perfluorochemicals (PFCs) were found in Berry's Brook. Many residents in Greenland and North Hampton, where the landfill is located, worry chemicals will contaminate drinking wells.

Early studies have tentatively linked PFCs to cancer.

Wimsatt says the state Department of Environmental Services will meet with the Environmental Protection Agency Tuesday to discuss the site.

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