Pappas, Shaheen, Hassan Urge EPA to Continue Actions to Address PFAS Contamination in Londonderry, Ensure Safe Drinking Water for Community
Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) joined Senators Jeanne Shaheen (NH) and Maggie Hassan (NH) in calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to continue its efforts to remediate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination at the Tinkham Garage Superfund Site in Londonderry and to ensure 89 residents have access to safe drinking water. The letter to Region 1 Administrator Mark Sanborn comes after the EPA announced a proposal earlier this month to address contaminates at the Superfund Site.
The lawmakers wrote, in part: “As members of the New Hampshire Congressional Delegation, we write to request the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) take full action at the Tinkham Garage Superfund Site in Londonderry (Docket: EPA-R01-SFUND-2025-0117). We are deeply concerned about the PFAS exposure of Londonderry residents, and we urge the EPA to ensure that residents will be able to access a safe supply of drinking water by connecting households to the municipal water system.”
They continued: “As you know, EPA began investigating contamination from the Tinkham Garage Site in 1981 after initial investigations by the Town of Londonderry and New Hampshire state agencies. These investigations revealed that the improper waste disposal associated with the Cannon Engineering Corporation Bridgewater Site led to the contamination of the nearby groundwater as well as soil and surface water with several hazardous substances. More recent EPA sampling led to the detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in 2018 in the groundwater and residential water supply. Contaminants like PFAS have been linked to a number of health issues including some cancers and pose a long-term threat to the health and well-being of residents. Currently, 65 households with high levels of contaminants in their water supply have been offered bottled water as a temporary mitigation measure.”
They concluded: “While remediation of these contaminants continues, residents must have safe and reliable access to drinking water. We urge the EPA to remediate the contamination by extending an existing municipal water line running within the Site into the target neighborhood. This action would prevent exposure of residents to site contaminants from drinking water. We also urge the EPA to continue working with the local community to protect residents from contaminated water.”
The full letter can be read HERE.
Pappas has been a leader in addressing PFAS and advocating for improved standards, increased investment, and a stronger national focus on PFAS contamination. As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Pappas fought for funding in the bipartisan infrastructure law to help communities address PFAS contamination. Pappas leads the Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act, the PFAS Research and Development Reauthorization Act, the PFAS Registry Act, and the No Taxation on PFAS Remediation Act.