LIVERMORE — A second test of the well water at the Town Office/Fire Station, and a first test of the air continue to register elevated levels of radon, town Administrative Assistant Carrie Castonguay said Tuesday.
Maine Municipal Association did an inspection of the building in December and required a water test to be done.
The second test of the water registered 105,685 picocuries of radon per liter of water, slightly lower from the first test. The second sample was taken Jan. 20 and analyzed the same day by A & L Laboratory of Auburn.
The first test registered 106,153 pCi/L on Jan. 2. A Waterville company did the analysis the first time.
The state considers the maximum level of radon exposure to be 4,000 picocuries per liter of water.
Castonguay took the air sample at the town building Jan. 16 through Jan. 20.
A & L analyzed the sample on Jan. 20 and found a concentration level of 10.6 picocuries of radon per liter.
The air radon limit set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is 4 pCi/L, according to A & L Laboratory. However, the state of Maine recommends that individuals seriously consider mitigating any air results above 2pCi/L, the company said in its analysis.
Castonguay said she was told the air in the office registered radon because of the well water.
Selectpersons decided Monday night to include the cost of a filtration system for the well in the budget for 2015-16, she said.
They have also asked her to get an estimate on how much it would cost to have the plumbing vent pipe from the bathroom to be put through the roof of the Town Office to vent outside, Castonguay said.
The pipe currently vents into the attic, she said.
A Turner company that came to the Town Office within the past year to investigate a report of mold in the building discovered the pipe vented into the attic and alerted town representatives.
dperry@sunjournal.com
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