Chemicals Found in Town Building Wells

Harmful chemicals have been discovered in the wells which supply water to the Rehoboth Town Hall and the Fire Station on Anawan Street.

David Foss, the principal hydrogeologist and senior vice-president of Wilcox and Barton, briefed the Board of Selectmen Monday.

Wilcox and Barton, an environmental consulting firm with offices in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, have been retained to conduct testing of groundwater and private wells in town.

The water in Town Hall and Fire Station wells contained per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Exposure to high levels of PFAS in contaminated drinking water may result in the following health effects: increased cholesterol levels, changes in liver enzymes, hormone disruption and increased risk for thyroid disease, decreased odds of women becoming pregnant, and increased risk of kidney or testicular cancers.

“The concentration that was found at the town hall well was over 250 parts per trillion, more than 10 times the drinking water standard,” Foss said.

The Town Hall well is approximately 200 feet from the area where a firefighter training was held. The foam used by the fire department contains harmful chemicals.

“Fire Chief (Frank) Baressi and other members of the volunteer fire corps (acknowledged that was where they did the training),” Foss said. “There’s no denial, there’s no one trying to hide it. It’s a known issue that this firefighting foam is a primary contaminant.”

Foss said the state’s public water supplies were tested by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). 95 percent of the residents have water less than the MCL (maximum contaminated level). In other words, five percent of state residents are drinking public water which has a contaminant level higher than 20. Five percent of the state’s population of 6.8 million amounts to over 300,000 people. That segment of the population is drinking public water with PFAS above the standard.

Wilcox and Barton tested the well water at private residences and discovered PFAS in seven of them. The homeowners had signed an access agreement with agency beforehand.

“The process when we have a detection is we immediately communicate with the homeowner that bottled water is available,” Foss said.

For homes with concentrations greater than 20 (parts per trillion), Wilcox and Barton are going to implement a port of entry treatment system. More testing of town water will be conducted later this month.

On June 15, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released four drinking water health advisories for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

According to the EPA press release: “The agency’s new health advisories provide technical information that federal, state, and local agencies can use to inform actions to address PFAS in drinking water, including water quality monitoring, optimization of existing technologies that reduce PFAS, and strategies to reduce exposure to these substances.”

“Individuals concerned about levels of PFAS found in their drinking water should consider actions that may reduce exposure, including installing a home or point of use filter. EPA is moving forward with proposing a PFAS National Drinking Water Regulation in fall 2022. As EPA develops this proposed rule, the agency is also evaluating additional PFAS beyond PFOA and PFOS and considering actions to address groups of PFAS. The interim health advisories will provide guidance to states, Tribes, and water systems for the period prior to the regulation going into effect.”

Bottled water is available at the highway department for pick-up, until an account with Ready Refresh can be established. Please contact Gerry Schwall, the Director of Finance and Compliance, at 774-654-2892.