Wayland To Pick Short-Term PFAS Contamination Fix

WAYLAND, MA — The Wayland Board of Public Works will meet Monday to select a way to reduce PFAS contamination in town water in the near term. Under state regulations, Wayland needs to come up with both short and long-term solutions for the problem.

Earlier this year, water at the Happy Hollow field, which provides about 50 percent of Wayland's drinking water, tested above a state threshold for PFAS chemicals. The town has been distributing bottled water to residents due to potential health hazards posed by the chemicals, especially for pregnant women and people with existing health problems.

Wayland has hired a consultant, Tata and Howard, to come up with short and long-term solutions. The short-term solutions include installing new water filters at Happy Hollow, or making an emergency connection to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) water supply.

Related: Wayland Considers 2 Ways To Fix PFAS Contamination

The solutions have drawbacks. Tata and Howard is recommending Wayland pursue an ion-exchange treatment system, although that system might be vulnerable to winter conditions, according to town officials. A carbon filter system would take up lots of space and may require hiring additional personnel, and a connection to MWRA would be significantly more expensive.

Natick is facing a similar PFAS problem, and is pursuing a plan to spend $3 million on a new water filtration system. Natick has also estimated it could cost as much as $24 million to connect to MWRA. Wayland may also partner with Natick on an MWRA connection since the towns border each other, officials have said.

If the Board of Public Works approves a short-term solution, the system could be installed by the summer, according to Town Manager Louise Miller. The meeting begins at 5 p.m. on Monday.