MetroWest organizations awarded $232K to improve drinking water
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Henry P. Clough School in Mendon received grant money to help pay for updates to its water purification system so it can remove harmful PFAS.
Five organizations in Boxborough and Stow received a combined $232,209 as part of nearly $600,000 awarded in Central Massachusetts and $1 million statewide from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection grants to small public water suppliers to help address elevated levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water.
The grant program will pay for or reimburse long-term projects to address PFAS. MassDEP is awarding funding to small public water suppliers who provide drinking water to fewer than 3,300 people. The grant recipients include condominium associations, schools, churches, businesses, and public buildings.
“PFAS poses a significant threat to public health and the environment, and our communities have been working extremely hard to keep our drinking water safe from these toxic chemicals,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a press release on Monday. “This grant funding will help our small public water suppliers by providing the financial support needed to put the right treatment systems in place so all residents can access clean water.”
PFAS chemicals have been used since the 1950s to manufacture common consumer products and in some legacy fire-fighting foams. Drinking water can become contaminated if PFAS seeps into soil and into groundwater or surface water. PFAS have been linked to a variety of health risks, particularly in women who are pregnant or nursing, and in infants. In October 2020, MassDEP finalized a standard of 20 parts-per-trillion (ppt) for PFAS in drinking water, as well as cleanup standards for soil and groundwater.
“Removing PFAS from our drinking water is one of the great environmental challenges of our time,” Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper said in the release. “Providing this funding helps to build on the aggressive action we are taking in Massachusetts to protect the public and the environment from the harmful impacts of PFAS. Working closely with communities dealing with PFAS is essential to eliminating these contaminants, and these grants will help the impacted entities respond immediately to PFAS contamination by providing safe drinking water."
All community public water systems are required to test for “PFAS6” (the sum of six PFAS substances). If found above the state standard, water systems are required to eliminate or minimize the threat to public health by turning off a contaminated water source, connecting to a neighboring water supply, or taking other steps to ensure that clean drinking water is available to all system users.
The following Central Massachusetts small public water supply systems received PFAS grants:
Carriage House Condominiums, Boxborough – $63,126
Reimbursement for expenses related to the 2021 installation of a PFAS filtration system.
Codman Hill Condominium, Boxborough – $108,754
The grant will help with the design and permitting of a PFAS treatment system to add to the existing treatment system for drinking water well.
United Church of Christ Congregational, Boxborough – $16,299
Reimbursed for a treatment system installed last year.
South Grafton Water District, Grafton – $50,000
Support for the design of a long-term PFAS treatment system.
28 Hastings Street Corp., Mendon – $50,000
Support for the design, permitting and construction of a PFAS treatment system.
Henry P. Clough School, Mendon – $31,555
A reimbursement for the design, permitting and installation of a PFAS treatment system that went online last year.
Miscoe Hill Middle School, Mendon – $50,000
A reimbursement for the design, purchase, and installation of a PFAS treatment system, adding filtration to the existing drinking water treatment system.
Petersham Town Hall, Petersham – $35,000
Support for the design, permitting and construction of a PFAS treatment system.
Phillipston Memorial Building, Phillipston – $50,000
Help with the design, permitting, and construction of a PFAS treatment system with anion exchange vessels to add to the existing drinking water treatment system.
Princeton Town Campus and First Congregational Church of Princeton – $48,660
Help with installation of a point-of-entry treatment system at the Town Hall campus. A similar system is being installed at the church.
Pilot Grove Apartments, Stow – $21,925
Funding for the addition of a new PFAS treatment system with anion exchange vessels, added to the existing drinking water treatment system, which serves 134 residential users.
Pilot Grove Apartments II, Stow – $21,925
Funding for the addition of a new PFAS treatment system with anion exchange vessels, added to the existing drinking water treatment system, which serves 175 residential users.
Sutton Public Schools, Sutton – $48,466
Help with the purchase and installation of a PFAS treatment system and associated engineering services.
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