New Hampshire's Environmental Services Department says a manufacturer is "potentially responsible" for the cleanup of an area that has shown elevated levels of the chemical PFOA in wells and drinking water.
The department's letter to Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics dated Friday came after it found 20 wells within a one-mile radius of the Merrimack facility showing higher levels of the chemical, used to make Teflon coatings.
Saint-Gobain found the presence of PFOA in its drinking water earlier this year and notified the DES.
The department requests that Saint-Gobain provide bottled water to affected properties; submit a plan for soil sampling and analysis; provide for the installation and monitoring of water treatment systems to remove contamination; and provide for the connection of residences and businesses to a public water supply.
A message seeking comment from Saint-Gobain was left Tuesday.