Dedham-Westwood Water District secures $4.9M in PFAS settlement

The Dedham-Westwood Water District (Mass.) will receive more than $4.9 million from 3M Company as part of ongoing litigation over PFAS contamination tied to aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF). The district filed its lawsuit in February 2023 and is among hundreds of water providers pursuing similar claims through multidistrict litigation in South Carolina.

The first payment of $984,124 will be disbursed this month, with the bulk of the settlement arriving by the end of 2025 and the remainder spread over eight years. District officials said the funds will help offset – but not cover – the $15.55 million cost of planned PFAS treatment upgrades at the White Lodge Water Treatment Facility. Construction is expected to begin soon, supported in part by a 20-year interest-free loan from the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust.

Monthly PFAS monitoring at the district’s two treatment plants continues to show compliance with Massachusetts’ maximum contaminant level of 20 ppt.