The Water & Sewer Advisory Board on Wednesday discussed the town’s efforts to address concerns previously raised by a local water expert about salt potentially impacting the water supply.

Ken Weismantel, a member of the state’s Water Resources Commission (WRC), spoke before the Select Board last December and this January. He was particularly worried about what he observed as salt storage at 66 Fruit Street. This is near the town’s Fruit Street wells.

This situation prompted Water & Sewer Advisory Board (WSAB) members to begin discussing wellhead protection.

In response, Assistant Town Manager Lance DelPriore in January wrote a letter to the Select Board describing a joint effort between the Town Manager’s Office and the Department of Public Works to address the issue. This letter, recently shared with the WSAB, noted that this pile contains sand and salt in a 5-1 ratio. This mixture is used by Hopkinton Fire Department for the Salt for Seniors program, as well as by residents.

Salt storage is not permitted in a Water Resource Protection Overlay District (WRPOD), the letter noted, unless it is a contained in a structure that doesn’t leak. The DPW was asked to seek cost estimates for a container and covered the pile with a tarp. A sign noting “Resident Sand/Salt Pile” would help prevent confusion.

Vice chair Rob Scott observed the site and described the town’s effort there as “very feeble.” He noted that during the construction of the DPW building, a resident salt pile had been moved to a dirt parking lot on Marshall Avenue, near Carrigan Park.

He added: “There has to be an easier spot where it can go.”

Scott was also blunt about salt storage at Legacy Farms.

“The people who maintain that salt pile are slobs, and they don’t care,” he said. “You can literally see salt running down the road during storms.”

New member Aditya Singh suggested drafting a letter to the homeowners association as a “courtesy call.”

President Paul Gallagher said he would communicate the board’s recommendations to DelPriore to move the sand/salt pile from Fruit Street as well as to consider a plan of action for addressing the salt situation at Legacy Farms.

PFAS issue raised during wellhead protection discussion

Members also discussed the town’s issue with PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) over the past few years. Higher than allowable concentrations of PFAS  were found in Well 6 off Fruit Street in 2022. This prompted the construction of a well filtration system that began in October 2023.

Called “forever chemicals,” PFAS are used in nonstick cookware, outdoor gear and food packaging, among other products. PFAS have also been used in firefighting foam, which concerned Hopkinton residents because of the previous firefighting training conducted in the immediate area.

“In terms of Hopkinton, it’s potentially an issue historically that impacts the wells today,” said Gallagher. “We don’t know that; it’s not a scientific fact. But it’s not an unreasonable theory.”

“This topic is alive in our town,” member Don Sutherland said. “If we’re worried about salt, I can’t see us not being worried about this as well. We shouldn’t be doing whack-a-mole.”

He suspected that the Fruit Street wells were impacted previously by the firefighting training history. But an additional concern was a farm in that area that may have used biosolids (organics recycled from sewage).

Scott asked about the potential impact of pharmaceuticals on wells. He said they can travel through septic systems. Gallagher noted that he has seen research on that topic that indicated that some compounds “could be PFAS bad actors.”

Gallagher added that he did not believe there is a current concern about biosolid application near any of the wells. According to Gallagher, there is no state legislation to stop biosolid use.

Members discussed the possibility of meeting jointly with the DPW and the Board of Health to discuss current regulations regarding biosolids and PFAS.

MWRA connection recommendation to Select Board recapped

Gallagher noted that a presentation he gave to the Select Board at its Aug. 5 meeting recommending that the town connect to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) appeared to be well received.

Said Gallagher: “There didn’t seem to be any pushback.”

He added that an MWRA connection would need to be achieved via Southborough, which requires an intermunicipal agreement (IMA) between the two towns. This connection was approved at Town Meeting in May 2022.

“Town management wants to, very correctly and wisely, get further down the permitting and design pathway before they get into very detailed negotiations with Southborough,” Gallagher explained.

Sutherland questioned whether a Select Board liaison would be attending future WSAB meetings to provide updates.

During the Select Board presentation, Gallagher noted that, even if filtration systems were installed in all eight town wells, they would not be able to produce enough water to meet Hopkinton’s  growing needs. He also encouraged the town to continue to purchase water from Ashland.

The town also recently has been experiencing a drought. Gallagher said the Water & Sewer Department has been stressing to residents that they should not be watering their lawns during dry spells. Members discussed using this example as an opportunity to educate people about the importance of water conservation.