At its April 7 meeting, the Londonderry Utilities Committee received an update from Administrative Services Director Kirsten Hildonen on the recently approved settlement between the Town of Londonderry and Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics regarding PFAS contamination. The agreement, she emphasized, works in addition to the state’s existing consent decree, not as a replacement.
“This settlement agreement is between the town and Saint-Gobain. It does not alter or preclude the consent decree agreement between the State of New Hampshire and Saint-Gobain,” Hildonen said. “All of the properties listed in the consent term sheets stay. SaintGobain retains responsibility for anybody whose well tests at 12 parts per trillion in the consent decree area.”
Under the new settlement, SaintGobain will pay 40% of the cost of extending the water main from Royal Lane to Alexander Road, Phase 2 of the town’s broader water expansion plan. Committee members expressed hope that combining settlement funds with leftover money from the High Range Road project could accelerate efforts to bring public water to residents outside the consent decree area.
The High Range Road expansion is designed to serve households not covered by the state mandated remediation zone. Meanwhile, Saint-Gobain remains responsible for maintaining wells and point of entry (POE) treatment systems within the consent decree area until water tests fall below federal PFAS limits.
Not all affected households chose to connect to municipal water. Some opted to keep their wells and rely on POE systems instead. Committee member Mike Speltz asked how long Saint-Gobain would continue servicing those systems.
“If a customer has a POE system and they’re still using their well, and the well tests below the minimum limit, then Saint-Gobain will no longer be maintaining the POE system,” Speltz said. “How often is the water tested, and who is doing the testing?”
Deputy Director of Public Works James Danis responded that water testing occurs quarterly. “Four times a year the water gets tested,” he said. “They also change the filters as needed.”
Contractors such as Culligan Central and Secondwind Water handle the physical testing and maintenance.
Committee Chair Martha Smith asked whether the settlement document was available for public review. Hildonen said she believed it would be accessible once it is “fully executed,” noting that the Town Council has already approved the agreement.
Even with the settlement in place, Londonderry’s water expansion efforts will continue on multiple fronts. Hildonen outlined the next major areas slated for service.
“There’s three major neighborhoods that have been identified for water line expansion, and those are the ones between Alexander and Royal, they all start off High Range Road,” she said. “Once the water on Alexander and Royal is completed, construction will begin moving west. That construction, management, execution, responsibility, everything, is the responsibility of Saint-Gobain. The town will not be running that construction moving west. We will be running the High Range Road water main.”
Saint-Gobain is currently working with Pennichuck to finalize engineering and construction details. The High Range Road water line is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, with the western extension projected to begin as early as 2027.