HOULTON, Maine — Construction has started on a water distribution system that is expected to end a nearly seven-year battle to eliminate forever chemicals from resident taps at the Houlton Mobile Home Park. Last fall the town and the park’s owner, Tony Brettkelly, thought clean water was on its way. But it took another nine months to come up with the money to start building the system that will bring clean water from the Houlton Water Co.
to individual homes in the park. Polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are a problem around the state and were discovered in the park’s well. Removing them from drinking water is difficult and costly.
It took the combined efforts of the park’s owner, the Houlton Water Co. and the town of Houlton. It took several state and federal grants that the town helped secure along with Brettkelly’s own financial contributions to bring clean water to the 80 or so people living at the park.
To secure nearly $1.6 million required for this final fix from the Maine Drinking Water Program, Brettkelly had to first deposit matching funds into the Maine Municipal Bond Bank. Brettkelly recently deposited $141,000, according to Houlton Water Co.
General Manager Greg Sherman. After the initial testing in 2018 showed contamination in the mobile home’s well, more state testing in 2022 reported PFAS levels at 183.4 parts per million, well above the safe level of 20 parts per million, according to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.
Park mana.