HARTFORD — Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced that he intends to allocate $5 million in state funding to be placed on an agenda of an upcoming meeting of the State Bond Commission as part of the state’s ongoing efforts to assist homeowners in northeastern Connecticut facing concerns due to the possible existence of a mineral that could cause the foundations of their homes to deteriorate.  The funding will be used to provide testing and including visual inspections of foundations in order to better understand the extent of the problem while also assisting property owners with the costs related to testing.

The Connecticut Department of Housing (DOH) is also planning to allocate an additional $1 million in federal block grant funding to further assist low and moderate-income homeowners and help offset these testing costs.

A number of homes in the region have suffered damages due to what appears to be the result of a natural disaster – specifically the reaction of a naturally occurring mineral, pyrrhotite, to oxygen and water.  Pyrrhotite is an iron sulfide mineral, and its exposure to oxygen and water leads to a chemical reaction that results in deterioration of home foundations.  The presence of pyrrhotite indicates the potential for concrete deterioration, but its existence alone does not necessarily cause it.  For homes with existing deterioration, the existence of pyrrhotite can – in some circumstances – be determined by visual inspection alone, chiefly because this kind of deterioration forms a unique cracking pattern.

Under the program homeowners will be eligible for a 50 percent reimbursement – up to $2,000 – for the testing of two core samples within their home.  Homeowners who have visual testing conducted by a licensed professional engineer will be eligible for a 100 percent reimbursement – up to $400.  The program will provide testing for applicants with homes built since 1983 and that are within a 20-mile radius of the J.J. Mottes Concrete Company in Stafford Springs.