Their Journey for Justice

Ashley Gooldrup and her fiancé Troy Reny bought their home in Fairfield, Maine just over a year ago. Set on six acres of open field, with breathtaking views, it was the first home they had purchased, and it felt like a dream come true.

But last fall they got a phone call that turned their lives upside down.

“The state Department of Environmental Protection said they needed to come out and test our drinking water,” Ashley says. “A few weeks later, a department scientist called and said to stop drinking it, immediately.”
 
Ashley and Troy, their pets, and the friends and loved ones who regularly visit have been drinking, cooking, and washing with water contaminated by toxic chemicals known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances).

The chemicals are linked to cancer, infertility, immune suppression and more. They can make it harder to survive COVID, and may weaken vaccine response.

Testing had revealed staggeringly high levels. Maine’s current limit for PFAS in water—and it’s set too high—is 70 ppt (parts per trillion). The level of Ashley and Troy’s water? Over 20,000 ppt.

Why is this toxic poison in Ashley and Troy’s well water? Why is the same thing happening to dozens of Maine families and to people nationwide?

Because farmers in Maine and many other states were advised to fertilize their fields with sludge from wastewater treatment plants and industrial facilities. From that source and many others, PFAS is contaminating water and land across the country.

It gets worse for those seeking help in Maine: our current law limits the timeframe for seeking financial damages to just six years after pollution occurred, even though sludge spreading started decades ago and PFAS chemicals are “forever” persistent in our bodies and the environment.

Will you help us convince lawmakers to do the right thing for justice?

On behalf of Ashley and Troy and other desperate families, we’re working with allies in the Maine Legislature to get the shockingly unfair statute of limitations changed, so families can seek the help they need and deserve. 

The clock is ticking. We must get this done before the current legislative session ends. For something this important, please contribute whatever you can give, whether that’s $10, $25, $50, $100, or more.

Can you imagine what your life would be like if this happened to you? Please help Ashley and Troy and many other families on their journey for justice. Time is short.