On October 2, 2020, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) issued a new drinking water regulation setting a maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 20 nanograms per liter (ng/L) for the sum of six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (called PFAS6). PFAS6 includes perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) and perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA).
PFAS are man-made chemicals that have been used in the manufacturing of certain fire-fighting foams, moisture and stain resistant products, and other industrial processes. An MCL is the maximum permissible level of a contaminant in water which is delivered to any user of a public water system.
As the high school has its own well, it is required that we test for these chemicals. Attached you will find a letter which describes the results for the high school which indicate that the levels of PFAS chemicals is above the acceptable level. The letter clearly states in paragraph 2 that "this is not an emergency. If it had been you would have been notified immediately." This text, along with the entire letter, was approved by MassDEP.
In response to these test results, bottled drinking water has been ordered to be installed at the high school as of today. Bottled water will also be used by the GDRHS Food Service in any food preparation which requires water. We are working with a company called Small Water in order to design and install a filtering device which will be placed at the source of where the water comes into the high school. We expect that work will be completed by mid-May. We will follow MassDEP guidelines for follow-up testing when the work is completed prior to removing the bottled water available for GDRHS staff and students, as well as the Food Service department. You will receive monthly updates regarding this work.
Any questions regarding this testing and/or the mitigation work should be sent to the Director of Building and Grounds, John Robichaud at jrobichaud@gdrsd.org.