The town’s hour-long forum Tuesday night at the Hopkinton Public Library provided residents with information on efforts to keep per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances known as PFAS in the town’s water system below the current maximum contaminant levels allowed by the state.
Health Department Director Shaun McAuliffe led the discussion with support from Kerry Reed, the Department of Public Works director. They explained known and potential sources of PFAS in the town’s water as well as remediation efforts to lower the levels and ultimately to connect to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) as an alternate water source.
Known as “forever chemicals,” these synthetic, potentially harmful chemicals used since the 1940s can be found in a wide variety of household products and industrial processes. While the effects of PFAS still are being studied, the Environmental Protection Agency found that exposure to certain levels of PFAS may be harmful to children and pregnant or lactating women.
Town ‘in a good place’ with PFAS reduction
PFAS levels in the water have been an ongoing concern for the town. The issue prompted the installation of a water filtration system last year at Well 6, the town’s most used well.
There also was speculation that firefighting foam used by a former firefighter training center off Fruit Street contained PFAS, which may have leached into the water supply.
Town Manager Elaine Lazarus explained that this event was a follow-up to a previous forum held last May.
A key development since that time, McAuliffe said, was Well 6’s PFAS filtration system going online. It has reduced the water’s PFAS content to small levels of up to 2 parts per trillion (ppt). The allowable level currently stands at 20 ppt, but it is being debated by the state and federal governments.
McAuliffe described Hopkinton as being “in a good place” regarding PFAS levels. A chart he displayed showed a dramatic drop since the filtration system’s installation.
“We’re pretty confident that PFAS as a contaminant in the community is related to firefighting foam and reconstituted sewage sludge as a fertilizer that’s been applied at several spots in town,” he stressed.
A bill currently being debated by the Legislature would restrict the use of reconstituted sludge, the health director added.
McAuliffe noted that PFAS mainly is present in food and water-repellent and non-stick products, with water as the third-highest source.
Food packaging meant to control leakage by oily or greasy foods is a known contaminant, he said. For example, a chocolate cupcake with a white frosting swirl contained a PFAS concentration of 17,500 ppt, according to a study McAuliffe mentioned.
Said McAuliffe: “We are getting exposure every day.”
Switching from processed to organic food can reduce an individual’s PFAS level, he added.
Private wells pose testing issues
McAuliffe also explained the complex issues that can arise when homeowners with private wells report PFAS water concentration levels higher than 20 ppt to the state versus the Health Department. The Health Department has jurisdiction over private wells.
While the Health Department will work with a homeowner who reports PFAS testing levels there, the state could deem a home as a hazardous waste site, ultimately lowering the property value. The property likely would be entered into the Massachusetts Contingency Plan database, McAuliffe explained. This would prompt the homeowner to hire a licensed professional to create a treatment plan and report the findings to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). The treatment plan could cost the homeowner around $20,000, he said.
Also, not all testing companies are licensed, according to McAuliffe.
“If you elect to test for PFAS, you need to educate yourself,” he said. “And that’s why I think we’re all here.”
McAuliffe said the state is investigating an industrial facility in an adjacent town where PFAS is suspected to have leached into a private well. He did not name the town, but he said the home is downgradient from the facility.
Out of the homeowners with private wells that reported data to the Health Department, McAuliffe said this well was the only one that had a PFAS concentration of more than 20 ppt.
MWRA connection, well filtration discussed
The biggest question posed at the event was about the progress the town has made toward connecting with the MWRA water system.
Lazarus explained that the town is involved with the permitting process. The town needs to sign an intermunicipal agreement (IMA) with Southborough to connect through that town to the MWRA system. The cost of the connection will be analyzed.
“It’s a decision that the community is ultimately going to make,” she said. “But we’re proceeding with the permitting so we can get to that point.”
Reed added that the typical permitting process can take 5-7 years.
“I think we’re on track,” she said. “It takes a long time.”
During the process so far, Reed said she discovered the town cannot produce as much water as it needs. The current drought amplified this issue.
“There’s no immediate health concern,” said Reed about the water, adding, “I know it seems scary.”
McAuliffe, a former environmental consultant, noted that PFAS “wasn’t anywhere on anybody’s radar” until the past two decades.
Resident water expert Ken Weismantel added that Well 6 is relatively new compared to other town wells, existing for about 20 years.
Another question arose from the audience as to why Wells 7 and 8 do not have filtration systems. Reed explained that their PFAS concentration was less than 20 ppt.
Weimantel, who sits on the state’s Water Resources Commission (WRC), explained that 40% of the town’s water comes from the Ashland treatment plant. Wells 7 and 8 basically are only used in the summer, when there are restrictions on the amount of water that can be purchased from Ashland.
When residents asked about the need to purchase reverse osmosis filters, McAuliffe advised against it.
“I would say buy a new car or go on a nice vacation,” he said. “I wouldn’t waste my money.”
McAuliffe added that if MassDEP wants to collect data from Hopkinton, it should indemnify the sites it wants to test.
Hopefully it was noted that the MA DEP recommend Yearly well testing and 10 yearly testing that would include PFAS levels.
This is the responsibility of the well water owner. With the rising concern over PFAS exposure, especially for young people, knowing that your well water is safe is becoming of greater concern to home buyers and some banks are requiring it for re-sale in some places already.
Well water pulled from the same sources as the source for the treated town well could still have elevated PFAS levels.
MA DEP recommend using a MA DEP Certified lab.