Putnam Program Finds Tainted Wells

Highlands Current Audio Stories · Jul 24, 2026 · 3m

State pilot focuses on 'forever' chemicals About 20 percent of private wells tested in Putnam County under a state pilot program exceed guidelines for a family of chemicals linked with cancers and other health problems, officials said on Wednesday (July 22). Public Health Director Rian Rodriguez and Brian Stevens, an associate public health sanitarian, told the Legislature's Health Committee that 540 well owners have applied to have their water tested for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under a $1.5 million, five-year program funded by the state. Of the 480 wells tested so far…