Maine warns against swimming near Brunswick foam spill

State health officials are advising people not to swim, wade, boat or do other recreational activities in several bodies of freshwater in Brunswick after more than a thousand gallons of toxic firefighting foam were spilled at a nearby airport last week.

The water bodies include Mere Brook (also known as Mare Brook), Merriconeag Stream, Picnic Pond and Site 8 Stream.

Testing done before the accidental release of 1,450 gallons of firefighting foam last Monday at Brunswick Landing showed levels of PFAS in the fish in those waterways, resulting in an advisory on Friday to limit or avoid eating them.

Now, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that people also not recreate in those areas until the full impact of the foam spill on them can be determined. It also advises against any contact with foam that people find.

State environmental officials have also maintained that the public water available to Brunswick landing from the Brunswick-Topsham Water District is safe to drink.

In a statement on Monday, they said all the foam has been cleaned from the hangar at Brunswick Executive Airport where it spilled, as well as from the planes that were there, and that vacuum trucks have been deployed to the affected surface water areas to suck up remaining foam.

The town of Brunswick is holding a public forum on the PFAS spill in the town hall on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.