NEW SALEM — The state Department of Environmental Protection has declared a water emergency at Swift River School due to its ongoing issues with a family of chemicals that is used in common consumer products like food packaging and outdoor clothing.

The declaration will remain in effect until there is no longer a need to use bottled water, according to a letter from Andrew Kelly, of the state’s Drinking Water Program. Wendell Town Coordinator Glenn Johnson-Mussad, who received the notification, said at Wednesday’s Selectboard meeting that the letter “looked frightening” but he believes it was just a necessary formality.

“The process of getting the PFAS filtration system in there has been rocky at best, that’s a mild way of putting it,” Johnson-Mussad said, adding that the filtration system must be installed in an existing well “in a very awkward place.”

However, he commended Principal Kelley Sullivan’s leadership.

Gillian Budine, the Wendell Selectboard’s vice chair, and Wendell Town Clerk Anna Wetherby said the filtration system is expected to be functional in November.

Wendell and New Salem own and operate the school, which uses a type of public water system known as a non-transient non-community water system. The towns previously signed up for a free round of testing under a program that tests for PFAS6, a set of six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Tests of the school’s tap water in the fall of 2020 revealed elevated PFAS6 levels.

The initial PFAS6 sampling was 53.8 parts per trillion (ppt) when the school’s drinking water was tested in November 2020. Follow-up sampling completed in January 2021 showed PFAS6 levels at 46.1 ppt. The state’s maximum contaminant level allowed for PFAS6 is 20 ppt. Compliance is based on the average of three monthly samples in a calendar quarter.

Engineering firm Tighe & Bond has been contracted to install a PFAS treatment system that was scheduled for testing on Sept. 27. MassDEP was reportedly informed two days later that performance testing was rescheduled for Oct. 4 due to a clogged distributor tube. However, that day the department was made aware via email that resin particles from the PFAS treatment system had infiltrated the water distribution system, causing clogs in several sinks, kitchen appliances and a chemical feed in the custodial closet. This resin particle infiltration issue had reportedly been occurring for several days.

Budine works in Swift River School for her job as the Union 28 Community Network for Children Program coordinator. She said daily life there is challenging, but everyone is getting by with bottled water.

“And they have for years,” Wetherby added. “It’s been a problem for years.”

According to MassDEP, the school is allowed to use bottled water to meet its potable and non-potable water demands. It advises having 1 gallon per person per day for potable uses. Water in the school’s distribution system may be used solely for non-potable purposes, such as flushing toilets. MassDEP is also requiring the school to provide daily updates via email as long as the emergency continues.

Sullivan wrote in an email that Swift River School has been using bottled water for two years. She said 200 gallons costs about $250 from Thurston Springs or $560 from W.B. Mason, depending on availability.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or
413-930-4120.