The state of Vermont is moving to declare groundwater in the area around a Williamstown dry-cleaning plant undrinkable. The move comes 21 years after Vermont Health Department tests first found pollution around the dry cleaning plant.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation is accepting public comments until next Friday on its plan to reclassify the groundwater under 85 acres around the UniFirst Corporation facility. All but one resident in the affected area have been hooked up to the municipal water supply.
Health Department tests found groundwater in the area polluted with dry-cleaning solvents. Levels of pollutants have decreased over the years, but are still above state standards for safe drinking water.