{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://kuster.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/shaheen-ayotte-kuster-call-on-epa-to-connect-all-homes-showing-water", "Shaheen, Ayotte, Kuster Call on EPA to Connect All Homes Showing Water Contamination to Public Water System", "2013-12-16", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "NH", "Ann Kuster", "K000382", "kuster.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. -- New Hampshire lawmakers are calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to connect additional households in Atkinson showing chemical contamination in their water supply to a new water main to help ensure reliable access to safe drinking water. In a letter sent today to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) are requesting\u00a0 homes in the town of Atkinson that are showing any level of 1,4 Dioxane contamination be provided access to a new water main. The town of Atkinson has been struggling for the last several years with the contamination of 1,4 Dioxane \u2013 a chemical solvent\u00a0 with hazardous effects \u2013 in the drinking wells of 44 homes.\u00a0\n\u201cIt has come to our attention that only some households facing contamination will be provided access to a new water main,\u201d Shaheen, Ayotte and Kuster wrote in the letter.\u00a0 \u201cGiven the importance of providing reliable access to safe drinking water, we request that all homes showing 1,4-Dioxane contamination be connected to the water main.\u201d\nThey added, \u201cGiven the small additional cost that is within the current budget, we believe that it would be both proper and prudent that all homes testing for 1,4-Dioxane contamination be connected to the water main.\u201d\nThe letter from Shaheen, Ayotte and Kuster follows a recent EPA meeting in Atkinson, where residents were informed that only households where contamination levels were at or above 3.0 micrograms per liter (ug/L) would be connected to the local public water system, which will be extended under the EPA\u2019s Emergency Response and Removal program.\nMany of the homes where the contaminant has been found to be present at concentrations below the 3.0 ug/L level, however, are located next door to, or very near to, homes that are above the standard.\u00a0 There is concern that when households in Atkinson currently testing over the determined contamination standard are connected to the local public water system, homes testing below the standard for contamination are more likely to see increased levels of contamination in their wells.\nThe full text of the letter is below.\nDecember 16, 2013\nThe Honorable Gina McCarthy  \n\tAdministrator  \n\tUnited States Environmental Protection Agency  \n\tAriel Rios Building  \n\t1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW  \n\tWashington, DC\nDear Administrator McCarthy:\nAs you may know, the town of Atkinson, New Hampshire has been struggling for the last several years with 1,4 Dioxane contamination which has been discovered in the drinking wells of forty-four homes.\u00a0 The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been working diligently in partnership with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services to address this problem and we greatly appreciate your attention to this matter.\u00a0 However, it has come to our attention that only some households facing contamination will be provided access to a new water main.\u00a0 Given the importance of providing reliable access to safe drinking water, we request that all homes showing 1,4-Dioxane contamination be connected to the water main.\nAt a recent meeting in Atkinson in November, hosted by EPA, residents were informed that only homeowners whose contamination levels were at or above 3.0 ug/L would be connected to the local public water system, which is to be extended under the EPA\u2019s Emergency Response and Removal program.\u00a0 Many of the homes where the contaminant has been found to be present at concentrations below the 3.0 ug/L standard are located next door to, or very near to, homes that are above the standard.\u00a0 We are particularly concerned that when pumping stresses on the aquifer are removed by connecting the homes currently testing over 3.0 ug/L to the new water line, the homes below this standard are more likely to see increased levels of contamination in their wells.\nThe situation for the residents on Deer Run Road, where construction of a water main is not currently planned, is also of concern.\u00a0 Six of the nine homes on this street have had detections of the contaminant.\u00a0 In the event that future monitoring shows increased concentrations of the contaminant in any of these homes, these residents will have no viable option to obtain a safe, clean source of drinking water since there would be no water main to which to connect and no reliable in-home water treatment technology is currently available.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\nGiven the small additional cost that is within the current budget, we believe that it would be both proper and prudent that all homes testing for 1,4-Dioxane contamination be connected to the water main.\u00a0 We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter as we understand that construction of the water main could be completed as early as the end of the month.\u00a0 If you have any questions about this letter, please contact Sarah Holmes of Senator Shaheen\u2019s staff (sarah_holmes@shaheen.senate.gov), Simon Thomson of Senator Ayotte\u2019s staff (simon_thomson@ayotte.senate.gov) or John Greene of Congresswoman Kuster\u2019s staff (john.greene@mail.house.gov).\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", 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