Broke Pipe, Bacteria Have Kept Wayland PFAS Filter System Idle

WAYLAND, MA — A $1.7 million filter system built by Wayland to remove PFAS chemicals from the town water supply is still offline after a pipe failure over the summer, town officials said in an update this week.

The filtration system, which the town began building in 2021, came online in the spring. But the system was shut down on July 19 after a pipe failure. During the shut-down, tests discovered potentially harmful coliform bacteria in the filter system.

At the same time, the town has discovered that levels of PFAS chemicals in well sites near the high school have fallen below the state's acceptable threshold. Under new drinking water standards, Wayland began testing the town water supply for PFAS in early 2021, and found levels above state standards at the Happy Hollow wells.

The state threshold is 20 nanograms of PFAS per liter (ng/l) of water. At the beginning of 2022, the Happy Hollow PFAS levels were down to about 14 ng/l. By comparison, the wells had tested at 25.10 ng/l over the last three months of 2021.

Meanwhile, Wayland is still exploring whether to connect to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority — a potentially expensive maneuver, but one that would offer water with reliably low PFAS levels. The last MWRA PFAS tests from April 2021 did not detect any checmicals in water samples, according to the agency.

"This action would either eliminate or dial back the use of town wells, which contribute water with higher levels of PFAS," the town said in a news release Tuesday. "This type of approach would allow the Town to continue utilizing water that is sourced within Wayland while also having the MWRA on standby should demand warrant the need for additional water."

Other local towns that use a mix of MWRA and local water — including Needham and Wellesley — have seen PFAS levels at about half the state threshold. Needham's water supply had PFAS levels at 12.4 parts-per trillion in January, 10.3 ppt in February and 7.3 ppt in March, for example.

PFAS are a group of chemicals that have been used widely in industrial and home uses, including in everything from nonstick pans and Gore Tex jackets to protective gear for firefighters. The chemicals also don't break down easily in the environment, and can build up in the body over time, leading to health problems like cancer, thyroid disease and birth defects, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.