The Path to Solving PFAS in Chelmsford MA

My younger brother lives in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. In 2020, the Massachusetts department of environmental protection (MassDEP) published its PFAS public drinking water standard or Massachusetts Maximum Contaminant Level (MMCL) of 20 nanograms per liter (ng/L), or parts per trillion (ppt) for the sum of the concentrations of six specific PFAS. The six PFAS are: PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFHpA, and PFDA. MassDEP abbreviates this set of six PFAS as “PFAS6” and has all public water systems test for them. 

Late last fall my brother received a notice from his water company, the Chelmsford Water District, that they had found a PFAS6 result that exceeded the Massachusetts Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for drinking water in the third quarter of 2023.  The Chelmsford Water District will need to build treatment facilities to address PFAS contamination that is beyond the limit deemed safe by the State and the newly finalized PFAS limits under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.

Testing conducted in Chelmsford in 2023 found PFAS levels exceeding MassDEP guidelines of 20 ppt in one of the three treatment plants that serves District customers.  Under the January 2020 Massachusetts guideline for PFAS Water District is mandated to submit quarterly PFAS results to DEP. The District has “triggered” quarterly levels above the guideline in the 3rd quarter of 2023, but since then has remained below the guideline in the 10-20 ppt range.  Regardless, the District must move forward with a solution to provide water to their customers with PFAS levels below State guidelines and also comply with the new federal limits.

Chelmsford Water District is small. It draws all its water from a series of water wells in two watersheds. There are two primary treatment plants and a backup plant. Crooked Spring Treatment Plant handles water from nine wells across the district. This plant utilizes aeration and greensand filtration techniques to remove elevated levels of iron and manganese from these wells and his plant has emergency redundancy built into it by the inclusion of a back up UV Disinfection System. The Riverneck Treatment Plant drawn from the other nine wells in the eastern area of the district and is also sent through the Greensand filtration system to remove elevated levels of iron and manganese from these wells. The Riverneck Road Treatment Plant can treat up to three million gallons of water daily. The Crooked Spring Treatment Plant, can treat up to four million gallons per day. This is a tiny water system compared to our own Fairfax Water that can treat hundreds of millions of gallons of water a day.

The Smith Street Treatment Plant and Wells was inactive from  1999 to 2012. The district refurbished the two wells and upgraded the treatment system. The  Smith Street Treatment Plant uses an aeration and membrane filtration system. This plant, along with its wells, serves as a relief system during times of withdrawal stress and an emergency backup for both the Crooked Spring and Riverneck Road Treatment Plants.

The Chelmsford Water District contracted with AECOM, a National engineering firm with a Chelmsford office, to design two treatment plants and a transmission line to remove the PFAS for all water customers.  AECOM is currently at the 30% design phase and is working with the District to communicate plans to the Town of Chelmsford public officials and District residents.  AECOM also submitted, on behalf of the District, an application to the Massachusetts DEP 2024 Draft Intended Use Plan for Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund.

The project completion is expected June, 2028 ahead of the federal deadline of 2029 for compliance with the federal PFAS rule. Chelmsford has always used the waste streams from their water treatment to recharge the groundwater. Waste streams from PFAS filtration should not be reintroduced to the environment. I look forward to learning how AECOM proposes to address this issue.

 At District meeting in this month the Chelmsford Water District will seek approval to accept assistance in the form of a loan in the amount of $43million from the state revolving loan fund. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law  dedicates $9 billion specifically to invest in communities with drinking water impacted by PFAS and other emerging contaminants. $1B of these funds can be used to help private well owners. The funds per estimated impacted water systems (if evenly given out) would come to about a million dollars, which as you can see does not go very far even at the smallest of water companies.