Windham's water is contaminated. We can solve it now.
Years ago, we didn't know how dangerous chemicals like PFAS were to our water. Right under our feet, the land under our schools, homes, and senior centers became contaminated with PFAS and PFOS.
Now, we have two options: continue to pay indefinitely for "band-aid" filtration solutions that will be a financial drain on our town for years to come, or pay once to extend an existing water main to bring a clean water solution to Windham's town center.
Vote Yes on 5 for a future with clean water.
It is our plan and hope that Article 5 passes... This is possibly the most important decision Windham voters have had before them in twenty years.
Rex Norman, Community Development Director
Why now?
The New Hampshire Drinking Water and Groundwater Trust will pay for a third of this project—but only if we pass it soon. Up to $3 million is available to us for projects like these, but it will gradually reduce in amount and eventually expire.
The DWG Trust was established from the proceeds of litigation against energy companies that contaminated groundwater with MTBE. (Source: NHDES)
It's financially smart.
We have two options. We can pay once for a long-term solution that will deliver fresh water for generations to come, or we can keep paying for the band-aid solutions we've paid for so far...
The Town of Windham has already spent $103,000 on PFOS cleanup to date, and it won't be stopping any time soon. (Source)
To keep our children safe, Windham Center School was forced to put in a $30,000 filtration system with a high ongoing cost to maintain.
Many Windham homes will require $2,500 filtration systems which will cost $500/yr. to maintain, and small commercial building upfront costs are estimated at $24,000 plus $4,000 plus per year. Source: SecondWind Water Systems Inc.
The Town of Windham's consultant Nobis estimated that the Town itself will be responsible for $300,000-$500,000 in remediation and monitoring costs alone over next 15 years according to Nobis Engineering.
The water line extension will eliminate the need to maintain these systems or install any more, saving us money in the long run.
We may not even know the full extent of the contamination.
We already know the contamination extends underneath most of our town's most important places—Windham Center School, the Senior Center, the Town Hall, the Library, and a number of popular shopping plazas—and the investigation is still expanding in scope.
WaterforWindham.com