FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 31, 2026
Kirsten Hildonen
Administrative Services Director (603) 421-1353
NEWS RELEASE
LONDONDERRY REACHES SETTLEMENT WITH SAINT-GOBAIN ON HIGH RANGE ROAD WATER MAIN
LONDONDERRY, N.H. – The Town of Londonderry has reached a settlement agreement with Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corporation that will require Saint-Gobain to fund 40 percent of the cost of Phase II of the High Range Road water main project, a major milestone in Londonderry’s ongoing effort to extend municipal water service to residents affected by PFAS contamination.
Under the agreement, Saint-Gobain will fund 40 percent of the estimated $4,293,446 cost of the High Range Road North project, or $1,717,378.40, and will place an additional $410,344.60 in escrow to cover its share of potential cost overruns. Phase II will extend the water main north from Royal Lane to Alexander Drive. Phase I construction was completed in 2025, and Phase II is scheduled to be completed by fall 2026. Completion of this phase will allow construction of water lines west into the Consent Decree area to begin in 2027.
This contribution will also strengthen Londonderry’s ability to reach residents outside the Consent Decree area. At the March 11, 2026 Town election, Londonderry voters approved the reallocation of unexpended project funds toward future water line expansion. The New Hampshire Drinking Water and Groundwater Trust Fund Advisory Commission also provided preliminary approval for the reallocation of grant funds. With Saint-Gobain now contributing to Phase II, the Town expects to utilize remaining grant dollars for future water line extensions serving residents impacted by PFAS contamination beyond the Consent Decree area.
This settlement does not replace or reduce Saint-Gobain’s existing remediation responsibilities. Under the 2022 settlement with the State of New Hampshire, now incorporated into the amended Consent Decree, Saint-Gobain remains responsible for providing alternate water remedies to affected properties within the Consent Decree area. Those obligations remain in place despite the closure of Saint-Gobain’s Merrimack plant, which the company announced in 2023 and at which manufacturing operations ended in 2024.
“This is an important milestone for Londonderry and for the residents who have waited far too long for a permanent path to clean drinking water,” said Town Council Chair Ron Dunn. “It also reflects a basic principle: contaminators must be held accountable for the harm they cause. I want to thank the present and former Town Councilors, Town officials, and the Utilities Committee for the years of work that brought us here, along with our partners at the New Hampshire Office of the Attorney General and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services for their unflagging support of Londonderry throughout this process.”
“A great deal of work went into this before I arrived, and I am grateful to everyone who helped move it to this point,” said Town Manager Shaun Mulholland. “This agreement helps bring an important piece of the project across the finish line while setting up the next phase of work. It puts Londonderry in a stronger position to expand access to public water and serve the community well into the future.”