PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 15, 2025
With their multiyear investigation not yet halfway complete, Maine state inspectors have identified more than 100 Maine farms and 500 residential properties contaminated by the harmful forever chemicals left behind by sludge-based fertilizer use. Maine has had to order fewer than a half dozen farms to stop selling their milk or food, Hennessey said. Some farmers who had positive soil or water tests were able to prove through additional tests that their food products were safe to eat. Others voluntarily pulled their food products from the shelves. The state has installed 500 water filtration systems. Maine DEP estimates it could install the additional 165 water filtration sites likely to be needed and stay within the program’s $28.8 million budget.