The $1.9 million Harvard received from the federal government’s American Rescue Plan Act, signed into law by President Biden in 2021, may be destined to fund projects to provide contaminant-free water to the town’s water district. The district’s only two wells, located on Pond Road, have been plagued by coliform bacteria in recent years, and last year tests revealed low levels of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances).
A project is currently underway to install a full-time chlorination system for the wells to solve the coliform problem. Well #2 has been offline since last August, leaving only well #5 to provide water to the district. That situation is responsible for the town’s current outdoor watering ban for town water supply users. The chlorination system will use $319,000 of the total funds.
ARPA funds will also pay for a few small expenses not related to the water system. About $15,000 will fund the rentals required to hold the 2022 Annual Town Meeting outdoors. An additional $2,500 will be used to pay fees for consultant CliftonLarsonAllen, a firm that is helping the town determine which projects are eligible for ARPA funds and assisting with federal reporting requirements for the funds spent.
But the remaining $1.64 million is earmarked for the next phase of the water project. The Water Commission has been weighing two options to handle PFAS contamination in the Pond Road wells—constructing a $2 million treatment facility at the town well site or connecting to Devens water, which has an estimated cost of $4 million. The commission must recommend one of the projects to the Select Board in the next month so that engineering firm Tighe and Bond can prepare an application (due in mid-August) for a low-interest loan to fund all or a portion of the chosen project from the state’s Clean Water Trust.
PFAS testing in 2020 revealed a level of 6.7 parts per trillion in well #2 and 15.2 ppt in well #5. The PFAS level of the blended water from the two wells was 8.28 ppt. Levels have decreased steadily since then, with January 2022 results showing 7.7 ppt in well #5 and no PFAS detected in well #2. In 2020, the state published a maximum contaminant level of 20 ppt for the sum of six specific substances, but individual towns have the freedom to determine what PFAS level, if any, they deem acceptable. The Pond Road wells supply the water for about 100 residences and businesses near the center of town, as well as the schools, the library, and Town Hall.
Should the town choose to fully fund the next water project with a loan, the $1.64 million balance could be used for another purpose. In April, the federal government issued the “final rule” for ARPA funds, which loosened some of the guidelines for project eligibility, including a provision that allows local governments to use the funds as a means of recovering lost revenue. In addition, the final rule assumes that COVID-19 caused any revenue losses experienced—no proof is required. Other eligible projects include modernization of cybersecurity, dam and reservoir rehabilitation, and broadband infrastructure investments.
