Norwell Select Board Debates $18 Million Water Treatment Facility for PFAS Removal
Board members question cost and effectiveness of proposed project amid changing regulations
NORWELL - April 2 - The Norwell Select Board is weighing a significant investment in water treatment infrastructure to address PFAS contamination in the town's water supply. During their April 2 meeting, board members expressed concerns about the $18 million price tag and questioned whether the project would effectively solve the problem.
The Capital Budget Committee presented details about the water treatment proposal, which has been split into two components: a $1.5 million design and engineering phase, followed by approximately $16.5 million for construction.
"I have reservations about it," said Select Board Chair Jason Brown. "It could easily be a controversial issue, an emotional issue like, 'Hey, wait a minute, you're talking about plastics in the water. We need to take care of it.'"
Brown acknowledged the seriousness of PFAS contamination but questioned whether the investment makes sense given the town's other financial obligations.
"Is that the best use of our resources, even though it's coming out of water revenues? The fact is that Norwell taxpayers will be paying for it," Brown said.
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of manufactured chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products since the 1940s. The EPA has established regulations for acceptable levels of these chemicals in drinking water.
Susan Powell, chair of the Capital Budget Committee, noted that the EPA's PFAS regulations are a "moving target," creating uncertainty about future compliance requirements.
"For PFAS 6, we're at 4.4 parts per trillion," Powell said, highlighting the extremely low concentration levels being measured.
The water department believes that through class action lawsuits currently in motion against companies like 3M, Norwell might be awarded sufficient money to cover the $1.5 million initial phase.
Powell, who was one of the dissenting votes on the Capital Budget Committee's 3-2 decision to recommend the $1.5 million phase, suggested the project might be premature.
"All public water systems have until 2027 to get all of their monitoring done. And then, if they have a problem, 2029 to mitigate it," she explained. "I think we could probably take another year just to get this absolutely in stone, what's required of us."
The water department has indicated that even with a one-year delay, they could still meet the 2029 deadline.
Board member Peter Smellie questioned how often the town's water fails PFAS tests, noting that the Washington Street water source has failed only once or twice, while South Street had more consistent failures before being addressed.
The board did not take a formal vote on the water treatment facility during this meeting, as they continue to gather information and consider options.
In other business, board member Bruce Graham proposed creating a new policy to streamline communication between board and committee members and Town Administrator Darleen Sullivan.
"Darleen has been bogged down in the last couple weeks by a lot of emails from board and committee members where the chair might or might not have been in the loop," Graham said. "It's very time-consuming."
Graham suggested that all communications to the town administrator should go through the respective board or committee chair.
"If there's an issue to be raised, it should be debated and presented to the TA as something that the board supports rather than just random shots from the group," he explained.
The board agreed to add this topic as a future agenda item for further discussion.
Other items discussed at the meeting included:
* The appointment of Daniel Borsari as a special police officer. Borsari currently works as a deputy sheriff with the Plymouth County Sheriff's Department.
* A review of capital budget requests for fiscal year 2026, totaling $1.43 million, with the Capital Budget Committee recommending $673,508 after not supporting requests for a deputy fire chief vehicle replacement and middle school parking lot repairs.
* Highway Department requests for drainage work ($200,000), yard remediation ($100,000), and other infrastructure needs.
* A citizen's petition from Anthony Vercollone to amend zoning bylaws to allow farmers porches within front setbacks in certain residential zones.
* Conservation Commission requests to transfer several parcels of town-owned land to conservation protection.
* A proposal to divide and sell the historic Stetson-Ford house property, with appropriate easements for access.
The next meeting is scheduled for April 16.