Natick, Massachusetts, was awarded a state grant to study ways to mitigate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination.
The town was notified of the $135,000 state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) grant in March, reported Patch.com. The money comes from a fund set up by Gov. Charlie Baker May 2020 to address PFAS contamination across Massachusetts.
The release of new PFAS contamination standards in drinking water supplies occurred October 2021, reported Patch.com. Any water source containing more than 20 nanograms per liter of six PFAS compounds is considered above the acceptable limit, according to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts website.
Natick began testing the town water sources for PFAS in November and December, discovering that at least one treatment plant, Springvale H&T, is above the state threshold, according to the PFAS testing results.
"In our initial testing, all of our five water treatment plants have shown the presence of PFAS, but the results indicate that only one of our four active treatment plants is above the MassDEP drinking water regulatory limit of 20 ppt for six PFAS compounds (known as PFAS6),” reported the town's PFAS website.
The town has reduced reliance on Springvale H&T and instead are using The Elm Bank treatment plant, which has the lowest PFAS levels, as the town's primary water source, according to Patch.com.
Along with PFAS contamination in Natick, Massachusetts, the state was also awarded $3 million in grants to 17 public water supply systems to support efforts to address elevated levels of PFAS in drinking water. The grants announced will be used for expenses related to the design and planning of treatment systems that protect drinking water against PFAS.
