Following a recent investigation, town and state officials have determined that a well in the area of Old Westport Road is not contaminated.

At the April 24 Select Board meeting, town officials were appalled to learn that a well near the Pine Hill Sand and Gravel could be contaminated by leaching chemicals. Upon investigation, they found that while the 498 Old Westport Road site does contain petroleum hydrocarbons, the chemicals are not anywhere near the well water.

Petroleum hydrocarbons include any mixture of chemical compounds that originate from crude oil, according to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR). Consumption by humans can affect the liver, immune system, and kidneys, according to the ATSDR website.

"We're not really concerned with our town wells," said Town Administrator David Cressman, explaining that the water is clean. "[The state Department of Environmental Protection] has issued a report to the property owner that they have to address it."

At the April 24 Select Board meeting, Attorney David Sullivan suggested that chemicals at the Pine Hill Sand and Gravel site were moving toward the town well, and the town would have to front the bill if they didn't allow Pennsylvania-based Vision Properties to develop student housing there.

"Water is a resource that we cannot mess around with. I find it incomprehensible that any entity has this knowledge and doesn't have to report it," said Selectman Shawn McDonald at the April 24 meeting.

"If it was significant, or if it was moving, we would've already seen it," Cressman said. He explained that the petroleum hydrocarbons are not migratory, and that residents do not need to worry.