Read the full article by Henry Schwan (MetroWest Daily News)
“NATICK — One of the town’s ‘active’ drinking water sources is contaminated with a group of chemicals known as PFAS6 that exceed a safe level set by the state, and Natick officials don’t know for sure where its coming from.
The Springvale H & T water treatment plant registered a contamination level of 25 parts per trillion, above the state’s safe level of 20 parts per trillion. In October, the state tightened the safety standard which had been 70 parts per trillion.
Operations at the Springvale plant are reduced while other water sources in town will be used to meet demand.
PFAS6 is a combination of man-made chemicals used to make certain items, including fire-fighting foams and moisture and stain-resistant products. The use of PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in American manufacturing stopped 30 years ago, but are still found in some imported products.
Wednesday night, acting Town Administrator Robert Rooney told the Select Board that ‘disposal of products’ could be a source of the contamination.
The town notified its water customers on Feb. 3 of the contamination.
Natick did not violate the state’s drinking water regulations, according to the notice sent to customers. A PFAS6 violation occurs when the average of all monthly samples collected over a three-month period exceeds 20 parts per trillion.
The quarterly average is not yet recorded, because April 1 is when towns the size of Natick are required to start testing its water systems for PFAS6.
Natick started testing for PFAS6 in November and December 2020…”