WIDESPREAD PER- AND POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCE GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION IN BENNINGTON, VT AND HOOSICK FALLS, NY: MARSHALLING UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM FOR PURPOSE-DRIVEN SCIENCE

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are highly persistent and mobile water contaminants of growing global concern. These chemicals have been used ubiquitously in manufacturing to apply coatings to products, including food packaging, and are a primary constituent of fire-fighting foams. Widespread PFAS groundwater contamination around Bennington, VT and Hoosick Falls, NY resulted from process chemicals being vented from smoke-stacks at several plastics manufacturers. PFAS aerosols were deposited on the landscape and eluviated to groundwater. To date, the Hoosick Falls public water supply wells and over 1,000 private home wells have been contaminated above health guidance levels across an area of at least 200 km². We have been building responsive curriculum to engage our students in impactful research, addressing questions that are outside the purview of state regulatory agencies. This project leverages the science classroom as a civic resource that is responsive to questions from impacted residents. We report here on how our project yielded insights into spatial and temporal variations in groundwater contamination patterns, transport of PFAS aerosols, and links between soil and groundwater contamination.