KENNEBEC JOURNAL • September 9, 2022
Two elementary schools in the Augusta area are installing water filtration systems after finding levels of so-called “forever chemicals” in their water supplies that are higher than the state limit. Water samples from the Helen A. Thompson School in West Gardiner and Whitefield Elementary School showed per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, levels of 30.7 parts per trillion and 31.1 parts per trillion, respectively. Maine’s limit — one of the strictest in the nation — is 20 parts per trillion, and the federal limit is 70 parts per trillion. The schools will supply bottled water to students and cafeteria workers to cook with until the filtration systems can be installed within the next month.