NORWAY – Linton Thompson has been buying drinking water since last winter.

He found that salt used by the town to de-ice the Greenwood Road where he lives had seeped into his well.

He complained to the town, had tests done and last Thursday selectmen agreed to pay for having a new well drilled, with a stipulation.

“I want a choice of who is drilling my well,” Thompson told selectmen. “Hodgdon Drilling is very reputable and if something goes wrong, they will come back and fix it.”

Selectmen agreed that they would pay for the drilling providing Thompson got three bids. Then they would pay the lowest amount. If the firm Thompson wanted cost more, then he would have to pay the difference.

“We want to be fair to the Thompsons and to the townspeople,” Selectman George W. Tibbetts Jr. said.

Thompson agreed and also told selectmen that he would also cover the cost of any electronics needed.

Depending on the various parameters of drilling, Thompson figured the well would cast from $4,000 to $8,000.

Selectmen agreed they were in an awkward position. Although the town put the salt there, it did so to fulfill state requirements of keeping the road free of ice.

Greenwood Road is a state road and edicts surrounding its upkeep must be followed.

Thompson had his water tested and found 265 milligrams per liter and the town’s testing found 243 milligrams per liter. The state maximum allowable level is 250 milligrams per liter.

At the Aug. 7 selectmen meeting, Road Commissioner Ron Springer said he’s going to use magnesium in that area of the Greenwood Road this winter instead of salt.

Springer said other towns in Maine have been using magnesium with success.