Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics has agreed to fund the majority of water-line extension work to provide clean drinking water for Bennington residents in the PFOA contamination area, state officials announced on Tuesday.
“I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to reach this agreement for the people of Bennington,” said Peter Walke, deputy secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources. “They have been incredibly patient with us while we’ve worked through these complicated issues.”
Saint-Gobain and the state will finalize the agreement once the project design work is completed at the end of February, Walke said. The state will contribute $4.7 million total toward the water-line extensions. The governor’s proposed fiscal year 2020 budget contains $316,000 to pay for the state’s portion of the water line work.
“Saint-Gobain is pleased to have reached an agreement in principle with the state of Vermont and the Agency of Natural Resources on Corrective Action Area 2,” the company said in a statement.
The exact amount Saint-Gobain contributes will be based on the final design, although it likely will be in the range of the $20 million the company paid for extensions on the western side of the contamination, Walke said. The construction work is to be completed within two years.