BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 30, 2023
Community drinking water systems in Maine are required to test their water supplies for PFAS chemicals, but water bottling companies are not. So the state asked water bottlers to test voluntarily. Of 11 water bottling companies in Maine, only five have tested their water for PFAS, according to the state’s drinking water program. One of the water bottlers had tested just one of its two springs. Of the five that tested, two companies (BlueTriton Brands Inc./Poland Spring in in Fryeburg and Glenrock Spring in Greene) discovered PFAS in their water sources. The two results meet the state’s interim, enforceable standard of 20 parts per trillion for drinking water. But the state standard is far higher than advisory levels for some PFAS compounds set by the federal government. Seven companies have not submitted any PFAS test results: Acadian Spring, Carrabassett Spring Water, HP Hood, Maine Mist Bottling Co., Maine Springs’ Winterbrook bottling site, Mount Desert Spring Water and Oak Grove Spring Water.